Simply irresistible
by Five seas
Summary: Beautiful, witty and dashing...Matsumoto Rangiku seems to have the world at her feet. But when she meets Hitsugaya Toushiro, the brilliant CEO of a major company, she finds herself facing something she does not expect. HitsuMatsu ShunNao UkiNemu GrimHime
1. Scandalous

I don't own Bleach.

This is to cheer up my friends. Don't worry, school is already two days short.

* * *

**Scandalous**

She opened her baby blue eyes when the first rays of the sun finally hit the windows of her 12th floor apartment. Yawning lazily, she rolled off the bed, got herself caught in the silk red sheets and yet managed to step off the bed light like a ballerina. Walking all the way to open the doors to the terrace, she fumbled with her hair, making it drape all around her face like an Amazon's helmet and when she stepped out to breathe in the fresh morning air, it caught fire from the crimson aurora.

Even in her early mornings, Matsumoto Rangiku looked like a queen.

She yawned again, lazily, as she made her way to the kitchen, tripped over her black dress and boots, the clothes from last night's clubbing that she had left piled on the ground, and made herself a fresh cup of coffee.

She turned on the telephone secretary, listened to Nanao's message twice to remember the hour of their appointment, and then turned through the other calls without listening very carefully. Most were from guys she knew and didn't knew, people she'd met at the disco who had somehow gotten in possession of her number and were asking her a favor or a date. Rangiku sighed-sometimes, it was hard to be famous.

* * *

After three cups of coffee she finally shook off the sleep from her, took a shower and dressed into a smart blue suit to match the color of her eyes, made sure her high heels were just about as high as the dress code allowed (there was this doorman in the office who refused to let in anyone who wore heels that were over an inch and a half long) and then grabbed her suitcase.

Her red car, license number Hai-kitty 5 let out a content purr as she turned it on and drove through the streets of the city, leaving a trail of tire tracks at the street lights and the faint whisper of the soundtrack of "Cats".

* * *

Matsumoto Rangiku had, as the word went on, the world at her feet. Gorgeous, witty and dashing, she was the centre of attention wherever she went. People, especially men, couldn't get their eyes off her when she walked into a room, and for a good reason. For the past 5 years she had been one of the hottest young business ladies in this country, along with her partner Ise Nanao and their mutual friend Ukitake Jushiro.

She stopped by her favorite café for a fresh croissant and another cappuccino to get her started, without paying attention to the excited whispering behind her. Her personal achievements were, sadly, not the main reason why heads turned after her-pictures of her partying at dance clubs were her main source of advertisement, and she had learned a long time ago to draw profits from the constant (and not very flattering) headlines from the yellow magazines.

"Yes!" she turned to the astonished people at the café "I plan to sign a modeling contract with Victoria's secret and I have to say, that bra is wonderful for the back!"

She smiled with content when she noticed the reporter on the back table scribbling something on a napkin as if his life depended on it and she turned to the photographer in the corner so that he could catch her lovely profile. Now all she had to do is call Kiyone and tell her to call the people right and tell them that she accepted the offer.

* * *

It was a busy day ahead-they had just signed a contract of partnership with a company, Gotei 13, where the three CEO's, Kaname Tousen, Ichimaru Gin and Aizen Sosuke, had just run off on the Bahamas with a lot of money, leaving a crowd of unemployed people and a ruined reputation. Of course, their company was hardly involved with them, but now suddenly Rangiku, Nanao and Jushiro had found themselves with a business they knew nothing about and lots of unpaid salaries. They were trying to strike a big deal these days and a bad image wasn't doing any of them good.

However, they had found a potential buyer, a company that specialized in computers, that could get the problem out of their hands and turn it into a gold mine.

After Matsumoto passed the strict check by the doorman (and explained that her earrings weren't used as paperclips when necessary), she met her friend Ise Nanao and they both headed for the lift.

"So, ready for the meeting, Nanao-chan?" Rangiku grinned. Nanao, impeccable in her black suit, merely examined her manicure and eyed her friend scoldingly.

"That's what I was about to ask you? Did you manage to get rid of the hangover yet?"

"You know me, Nanao. I'm hangover-proof." She grinned and swept her hair over her shoulder.

"Are you sure you'll be able to combine your modeling career with your deals here?" Nanao half frowned, half laughed "After all, it's a hard thing…walking around in skimpy lingerie for all the world to see."

"Disapproving, mom? I've heard you have eyes everywhere, but now I believe it." Rangiku laughed

"It doesn't take much." Nanao drew her pocket computer out and tapped on the screen. "There is an article on your future contract with Victoria's secret on the on-line page of "Tattler magazine." Here." There was indeed a small reference to her statement in the café, accompanied by her picture from last night, in the disco, where one could easily see her ample bosom almost escaping the skimpy black bra.

"My, my, Nanao." Rangiku smiled "I really should get one of those. I'm impressed."

"I'd advise you against it-you can't even change the batteries on a torch." Nanao said dryly

"Do I still sense some hostility?" she pouted

"Please, did you really have to embarrass yourself right before our very important meeting with Ice Dragon computers? We've had a lot of problems with Gin's company, you should know that better than anyone."

Matsumoto frowned. "I just wanted to blow off some steam, that's all. And besides, it's just tittle-tattle, we get lots of that. Why'd you think anyone would care?"

"The guy we're about to meet is a computer genius…a prodigy, if you will. He's bound to know everything that happens on the net, and bad image…"

"Is like a pack of cigarettes. I know, I know." Rangiku sighed as they stopped before the conference room. "But that doesn't mean we can't still get them." She grinned before pushing the door wide open…

Little did she know it was going to change her fate forever.

* * *

A/N-Um...should I go on? Do tell, I'll keep writing.


	2. First impressions

**First impressions**

Her eyes immediately zapped through the room, first accommodating with the bright light streaming through the glass walls, and then focusing on the man talking to Ukitake, who was undoubtedly the famous CEO of Ice Dragon computers, boy genius Hitsugaya Toushiro.

He looked nice, she thought. Actually, more than nice-the guy was handsome even though his looks were full of contradictions. He was dressed by the latest fashions, yet his hair was white like virgin snow and cut into spikes that made him look like a rock star that has just left court after winning his boxers back in a divorce settlement trial. His body was slender and tall, yet Rangiku had the feeling there were strong muscles hidden under the expensive shirt. His eyes were blue like the ice on the iceberg that sank Titanic, but for the split second they fell on her, they flashed a red-hot sparkle right down her spine.

Hitsugaya looked away from her the moment he saw her, with a frown on his face that indicated that either his contact lenses were misplaced, or that he didn't like what he saw. Given what Nanao had just said, Rangiku thought grimly, the second was more likely to be true.

Behind him stood a petite, brown haired girl with dark eyes which quickly presented herself to them as Hinamori Momo, Hitsugaya's personal assistant. She shook hands with Nanao for a long time, but hardly turned to Matsumoto until Ukitake finally introduced them.

"Well, Hitsugaya-kun's lawyers and ours have discussed most of the things…" Ukitake began "But if you have more things to discuss, we'll be more than happy to answer your questions."

Hitsugaya nodded stiffly, and while Matsumoto wondered absent-mindedly if he was mute, she noticed the venomous looks Hinamori was throwing her. The girl had seated herself between her boss and her, creating a sort of barrier, and every now and then turned to look at her over the shoulder. As the meeting went on, the looks became more frequent, and in the end she wasn't really doing any work.

Which was right the opposite with Hitsugaya, who was all business, no fun, and avoided looking at her as if she was a plague. Even when Rangiku spoke, his teal eyes were fixed in a point in the wall behind her, or right next to her ear, or in that oh-so-interesting and ugly vase that stood in the middle of the table, but never at her face. What was that?

"So, these are the main points…" Nanao finished talking and looked at Hitsugaya "Do you have questions, Hitsugaya-san?"

"No, thank you, I…"

"Just wait a minute…" Hinamori called out "What is this point about keeping the old employees?"

"Ah, as I said…" Ukitake began "This was Rangiku-san's idea, because…"

"Why should we have people who have done their jobs incompetently?" Hinamori went on "You know, if under the care of those runaway business men they were not good at what they do, why should they…"

"It's not like they've asked for bad management. Most of them are great professionals and have families to feed." Matsumoto tried to defend herself, knowing full well that this was a challenge to her, not the employee's competence.

"We're not here to listen to YOUR requests!" Hinamori spat back "We're saving a ruined company, taking it off your hands. You should be paying us to do your dirty work."

"Hinamori!" Hitsugaya looked at his assistant, his eyes a bit wider than Matsumoto remembered them to be a minute earlier. So…even her behavior shocked him. She smiled slightly-a childhood friend, maybe even a sweetheart, facing bad times, and the more successful buddy gives her work which she can't accomplish. The story was as old as the one where the successful buddy searches love everywhere until he finds it in his friend. But somehow, she didn't think it was just that.

"Allow me to explain, if you will." Nanao cut in quickly "We've been caught off guard by Aizen-san, Ichimaru-san and Tousen-san's little vanishing act. We never anticipated it. But we do want to put that company back on its feet. For all the months we've been looking for potential buyers, the company wasn't working, but we paid the employees. Their wedges have been given for the next three months, so by then, you could know who's good in his job, and who isn't. It not only saves you the trouble of candidate interviewing, but it also spares you some costs. So, in a way, we have…how did your assistant put it…ah, yes, paid you to buy it. We're not greedy, as you can see, we request a percentage that is ten times less the one we've originally paid for, but we do have confidence in your skills. So…" Nanao pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose "What do you say, Hitsugaya-san?"

* * *

"That was too easy." Rangiku sighed while Nanao and her went to celebrate the now closed deal…shoe-shopping. "I mean, it wasn't like this Hitsugaya-kun is bad, but it was just too easy."

"Yes, you've been telling me so for the last half an hour." Nanao mumbled "Seriously, Rangiku, don't you have anything better to say?"

"Yeah, sure I do."

"Such as?" eager to change the subject, Nanao looked up

"Such as…why the hell are you trying these on? They look like something out of my grandmother's grandmother photos."

"They didn't have cameras at that time." Nanao stated as-a-matter of factly

"Oh, please, how will you ever catch yourself some guy if you make yourself look ten times your actual age? Here, check these out."

"You mean I look 280 years old? And what are those?" Nanao carefully raised the object by the dark purple straps "The skeleton of your grandmother's shoes?"

"Don't be silly! Some women would kill to have ankles like yours! Wearing ugly shoes is like wasting pearls on a swine."

"They may be beautiful, but they're not exactly something you'd put on to cruise the streets-it's not comfortable."

"Oh, please, shoes were not meant to be comfortable. Besides, imagine yourself wearing these babies at a party…"

"That would be more to your part, isn't it, Rangiku." Nanao still smiled as she looked at her reflection in the mirror "And anyway, I don't have anywhere to put them for."

"How about my sister Orihime's wedding? You know you're invited."

"I really don't feel like going. You're paying for it and…"

"What? Is it not my duty to make the most important day of my sister's life the best?"

"Admit it, you're paying for it just to piss Grimmjaw off."

"Is it not my duty to play with the little kitty? I swear, Hime-chan couldn't have picked a cuter guy to marry than him."

"I bet he just loves it when you call him cute." Nanao said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Of course. The only man that would look cuter when irritate would probably be Hitsugaya-kun."

Nanao went silent for a while, contemplating the shoes in the mirror, then said:

"Even with that, I can't rope a guy in time for your sister's wedding."

"Sure you can! You just have to have confidence in yourself. I wouldn't go anywhere if I let people like…say Hinamori-san let me down."

"Was she trying to let you down?"

"Come on, didn't you see her? She was staring at me as if I was her arch-nemesis."

"Who knows. She used to work in a small company directly linked to Gotei 13 computers before it went broke. And I've heard Aizen-san was quite a ladies man."

"Well, it's not like it would come as a surprise from the infamous manager. But you, Nanao? Doing such a wide research isn't in you list of duties."

"Nor was taking care of the employees, but you did it." Nanao shrugged "So just to change the subject, who's taking YOU to Orihime's wedding?"

"Oh…well…" Matsumoto looked at her feet "Nobody…but I will get someone! You just sit back and watch the power of self-confidence."

"Yeah? It'll take more than getting the shoe-vendor here hooked to persuade me."

"Oh, puh-leese. I've set my sights way higher." She grinned like a cat that's just discovered it had dropped into a truck full of cream.

"Yeah? Who is it?" Nanao raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

Matsumoto just grinned wider.

* * *

Hitsugaya Toushiro-26 years old, white hair, teal eyes, 185 centimeters high, boy-genius, proclaimed to be one of the most successful young businessmen in the last 20 years. Yet he had never been so 'scared out of my pants' than he had been yesterday.

To think, that it wasn't meetings or science fairs that worried him, no, it was a tall, busty blond with the name of Matsumoto Rangiku.

Of course he knew who she was-there were people who had to shout to be heard, and there were those whose reputation precedes them always. He had seen her everywhere-tabloids, newspapers, bulletins, the journalists pictured her like a goddess with a thousand faces, and from their brief meeting, he had learned not only this, but so much more. She had merely walked through the door, and already his peaceful inner world was running downhill.

He tried to focus on the meeting, but all he could think of was her, and how her mere presence turned his blood into red-hot lava. He had heard that the bitter aroma of the forbidden fruit was the most alluring of all, but he'd never had a chance to have it tested on him like that. And to make matters worse, Hinamori just seemed to smell when he was drawn to another woman, and was ready to make a big deal out of it anytime.

So it wasn't a surprise he was glad to be out of that room, and have her out of his sight, that he hoped his life would go back on track soon and that everything would be alright. It wasn't a surprise either that he jumped three feet in the air when, upon coming back to his place that night and checking his messages, he heard a merry voice call:

"Hitsugaya-kuuun! This is Matsumoto Rangiku! Please call me when you get this message!"


	3. Playing with fire

* * *

**Playing with fire**

Hitsugaya held back from answering the message for as long as he could. At first he thought he was dreaming it all up, that he had eaten something rotten for lunch or spend too much time in the research center again. But after hearing her message a few times, there was no doubt that it was real. What's more, he actually found himself listening to it over and over again, just for the sake of hearing her voice. He found it enchanting-both melodic and serious at the same.

On the next day, when he came to his office, he discovered that his voice mail was filled with calls from Matsumoto, all asking him where he had been, how was he, when would they meet, etc. He looked them over, while thanking God he was his own secretary. Hinamori was a sweet girl, but she tended to get overly jealous when a woman called. And she didn't seem like she liked Matsumoto Rangiku from first sight.

His deduction confirmed when she came while he was in the middle of listening to another one of her messages. Hitsugaya shut it off immediately, but she had already recognized the voice.

"Shiro-kun….who was that?" she narrowed her eyes "It was that Matsumoto, right?"

"Yes." He nodded, while busying himself with some paperwork "There seem to be some things she wants to ask me about."

"You should be wary of such women, Shiro-kun. I know that better than anyone else."

"I know, I guessed as much." He nodded "Anything else?"

"Don't treat me like I'm your secretary!"

"On the contrary, Momo, I think the secretary here's me." Hitsugaya said calmly and let her storm out of the office, furious.

* * *

For the next few hours he concentrated on work, free of Momo's accusing looks and Rangiku's messages, happily deceiving himself that the day didn't held any more surprises for him. How little did he know about fate…how little did he know about women.

His phone rang and he, too busy to get it, let the voice mail turn on.

"Hitsugaya-kun!" Matsumoto Rangiku's voice rang through his office, loud and clear as if it had been broadcasted through the high speakers of the Beijing Olympic stadium. No wonder the poor guy almost leaped ten feet in the air when he heard it. His pen fell on the ground, he bent down to retrieve it, hit his head on the table and cursed, all the while she was leaving her n-th message.

"Hitsugaya-kun, did I per chance choose your day off to call? Never mind, I just got tickets to the national science convention and I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me."

"And why exactly would I want to go to a science convention." Without realizing, he had picked up the receiver and was speaking to her. The horrible realization almost gave him a heart attack, but one couldn't be a prodigy if one didn't undergo lots of stress.

"Finally. I don't think we met officially, my name is Matsumoto Rangiku."

"I remember." He said "Though I didn't expect you to call."

"Surprised?"

"A little."

"Pleasantly, I hope."

"It depends. Do you usually call guys to ask them out before you're officially presented."

"Now, now, let's not get into details!" he could actually see her wave her hands dismissively "You're our new business partner, which practically makes you a part of the family. We're almost relatives."

"Then I take it you're the aunt who never knows what to give her nephew."

"Nope. I'm the cousin who always does. So, how about that science convention?"

"You do realize, Matsumoto-san, that I've practically invented all that stuff ages ago."

"I do, but I also saw your watch." She chipped merrily

"My watch?" he looked down at his wrist. It was an old one, with leather strap and black numbers on the dial. Sure, when his grandfather had bought it, the thing must've cost him a fortune, as the company that made it had gone broke ages ago, but it seemed innocent enough "What about it?"

"1920 or 1921, am I right? They don't sell these anymore. A family relic, I presume."

"I suppose. But what does it have to do with a science convention."

"Well, it simply means that you're into retro stuff. Thus you may enjoy yourself."

Bull's eye, he thought, and an involuntarily smile bloomed on his face. Already in good spirits, he answered.

"What makes you think I didn't just find it in an old box and put it on because my own watch got broke?"

"You're a computer genius. If you were into high-tech stuff, you'd have just used your cell phone, not put on an old antique. So, wanna meet in front of the convention hall?"

"Give me your address." He said, quite at his leisure. "I'll pick you up at 9."

For a split second, he thought he could hear her grin.

* * *

Hitsugaya stopped in front of the huge building, punctual to the second. He wondered, for the millionth time now, if he was doing the right thing, coming to her like that. For some reason, a part of him screamed that going out with Matsumoto Rangiku was like playing with fire.

Then he saw her run out of the building, her long hair splashing behind her and the skirts of her white and red dress dancing around her legs, her skin catching fire from the early morning sun. She was grinning and waving at him, greeted him with a casual 'Hi, Hitsugaya-kun' and planted herself on the passenger seat next to him. Her perfume was fresh and bitter like lime, as if she had run through a steam-house filled with exotic fruit before she came to him, and it took all he had not to lean in closer and inhale deeper.

Somehow, he composed himself and, clutching the steering wheel, he stepped on the gas pedal and drove through the waking city.

* * *


	4. Thoughts

**

* * *

**

Thoughts

The science convention had never been so crowded before. The stands were pretty amazing, and there was a special section on sci-fi and the latest hits in filming, complete with models of the star ships from "Enterprise" and the latest season of "Stargate", so aside from the usual visitors, the hall was filled with the young fans of Trip and T'Pol and Teel'k. The variation of costumes and masks was almost equal to the elegant, simple outfits of the people who came to catch up on the biggest hits in science. There were so many people, so many important people, from inventors to scientists that had come to give interviews and pose for the covers of magazines, yet wherever a couple passed, there would be a corridor to open for them.

Hitsugaya had no idea that something like this might occur. As soon as he pulled over, as soon as they walked out of his car, everyone and everything seemed to stare at their direction. This was not his element, he thought as they cruised around the stands, looking at the displays without seeking anything special. He was a quiet person. He preferred to keep his thoughts to himself. Of course, with him being a CEO, meeting people was inevitable, but he liked to spend his time in the lab, or at home with a good book and a nice cup of hot chocolate with orange. He looked at Matsumoto and couldn't help the pang of envy that hit him-she seemed to be totally at her ease.

Even though she didn't know anything about the subject of the convention, she moved around freely, as if she was born there. And the way she smiled and greeted random strangers, it was just so...homely. It seemed like everyone knew Matsumoto Rangiku.

"Don't worry." She said, misinterpreting his silence "There're so much people here, no paparazzi is going to get a shot from us."

True, but all those kids around them had mobile phones with cameras...and at least half of them were experts on Photoshop. Toushiro was willing to bet his company on whether their picture together would be on the Tabloid sites by tomorrow...and he would add Hinamori to the wager on the presumption that Rangiku's face would be added to somebody's private porn folders by the end of the afternoon. Of course, he wouldn't tell her that.

"I really don't see why we came here." he said, after visiting the latest end of world hunger dream project

"Why? Everybody seems to be having fun."

"I mean...I have no interest in those things, and you don't seem to be enjoying it much either...so why did you chose this place?"

"You think too much." Matsumoto waved his comment off as if it was an annoying fly "Let's check this stand out next! I see we can add our heads to the bodies of dinosaurs there!"

Without waiting, she headed off to the 'Future of 3-D cinema', leaving him with two choices-to follow her or be left alone. Since it didn't look good to be left out like that, he quickly went to her. Besides, he was the one to drive her there-no doubt a lot of people would like to take advantage of the fact that she was left alone to drag her to some bar and...

He shook his head and entered the small demonstration room with her, and adjusted his eyes, only to find out that the projectors had turned him into a...clownfish.

* * *

Credit was given when it was due, though, he had fun. For the greater part of the morning, they went around the convention hall and, while no great breakthroughs impressed him, he was so relaxed it seemed the last weeks of tension had evaporated completely from his system. Matsumoto obviously knew how to make anything great-whenever the things were boring, she cracked jokes, whenever the exhibitors were too pressing she just grinned and said something like: "Oh, my, I think those guys on the other row stole your idea!". And when she saw something that caught her eye, something like a demonstration booth or a free ride, she was immediately overcome by happiness and eagerness to try it...just like a child on a country fair. Hitsugaya couldn't imagine how such energy and radiance could be fit into one person. She seemed to illuminate everything around her.

"I want to try this again." She said, as they walked dizzily out of something that was a "Real-live starburst stimulation", or roughly said-something that copied hyper speed on Farscape.

"Perhaps after we sit down for a while." Hitsugaya managed to straighten himself up "And get some sugar down the throat."

"My, I thought you didn't like to be seen as a kid." Rangiku laughed

"I don't. But slushies aren't on my not-to-consume list."

"Or mine." The sunny smile almost blinded him "Can I have a blueberry one?"

"Sure." He shrugged and led the way to the outside cafe.

* * *

"So why did you want to come here with me?" he asked, as they were waiting in line "It's not like you don't have work to do."

"Jeez, you make it sound almost as if I have no time on my own. I just thought that, since we're doing business together, we're colleagues, and in our company, all colleagues are like one big family. If we don't support each other in this predatorily corporal world, how would we survive?!"

"I can imagine what your yearly company holidays are like."

"Not yearly, Hitsugaya-kun. We throw parties every holiday, and we usually book a whole hotel for our employees and their families on New Year's eve."

"It sure looks like you're fond of your employees then."

"Well...I'm the one in charge of human resources...and the worst way to go about a big company is to distance yourself from the people that work for you. You need to know them, and let them understand that they can come to you and receive understanding. That's a good recipe for success."

"I have my own."

"I'm sure you do."

They picked up their drinks and headed for the table, but Rangiku forgot her purse on the counter and ran back to get it. The boy gave it back to her, blushing and apologizing, trying his best not to stare at her boobs, but Matsumoto, having gotten used to that a long time ago, just smiled, bought herself a cookie and left him a tip.

However, as she turned around her mood was suddenly cooled off by the scene in the cafe. Hitsugaya was sitting at a table, his drink in front of him, talking to a tall young man. Since her new colleague was not facing her, she decided to inspect the adds on the cafe wall, while keeping her eyes on the intruder.

He was tall and statuesque, with bright orange hair and warm, amber eyes. He seemed like a good enough guy, and he would be a real chick-magnet if he stopped scowling like that, but perhaps that was his usual trait. Their voices came to her, and even if she couldn't make out the words, she noticed the polite, yet cold tone people who don't want to cause trouble use.

Suddenly, the young man said "Goodbye" to Hitsugaya and went to his table in the other end of the room, where a group of girls and guys, probably at his age, were chatting amiably. While Matsumoto was slowly making her way back to her companion, she noticed he was looking at the table in a very intense, expectant gaze. Reluctantly, knowing already that she might not like what she was about to see, Rangiku followed it and saw two girls that sat right next to the man with the orange hair. One of them, who had long, luscious black hair and a rounded belly, had obviously caught Hitsugaya's attention.

Matsumoto was confused by this, especially at the look in Hitsugaya's eyes. Suddenly, his face had stiffened, his features her turned neutral, and all the energy and happiness that seemed to overflow him had vanished. Snap! Just like that. At the back of her mind, the small part of her brain that analyzed the situation with the look of a businesswoman and a psychologist, told her that she was not yet in the visual field of the merry group in the corner. "Stay off, just a little longer." It advised her, and in just a second, she was glad she did.

The black-haired woman turned in their direction, attracted to the entry of another young man, who waved and ran to her. He was immediately greeted with hugs and cheers, but all he did was embrace her, give her a kiss, and then kneel down to kiss her belly. The scene was very sweet, and for a while Rangiku's heart leaped in a joyful glee, but it seemed to have the reverse effect on Hitsugaya. Though his face remained expressionless, there was something that showed her he was in pain...

Then the woman looked up and saw him, smiled and waved. He answered, wryly, then turned around and met Matsumoto's eyes. For a second, the shock took her aback and she forgot where she was or who she was. Pain? What she saw in those deep, teal pool was not pain, it was pure and uttermost misery.

* * *

"And then he left?" Nanao raised a delicate eyebrow over the rim of her teacup, as she was listening to the story of the day. "Hitsugaya-san left? Just like that?"

"No...He said he remembered he had something to do, and of course, he drove me back before he took off to somewhere...but..." Matsumoto sighed "You should've seen him, Nanao, he looked crushed. Crumbled. Completely destroyed!"

"Just because he spoke to this guy?"

"No, he seemed well enough, but after he saw that girl..." she shook her head "It tore him apart."

"Surely the reason is not colossal. I mean, you said she smiled and waved at him. That must mean she knows him."

"Not well enough to come over and talk to him, obviously. I wonder what happened between them to make him so miserable."

"Rangiku..." Nanao left her teacup on its plate and placed it on the mahogany table with mathematical precision, before looking at her friend in the eyes "I sincerely hope you're not planning on 'investigating' this."

"Nan-chan! After what I saw today, I cannot not investigate!"

Nanao sighed-now this was bad. Investigation had been Rangiku's little hobby for ages, ever since they were in middle school and started visiting health lectures. After the first time the old nun at the all-girls school explained them about the functions of the reproduction system and the real truth on how babies are being made, she had had an irresistible urge to 'investigate' everything on everything that fascinated her, and at that time, it had been boys.

"Can you believe, it, Nan-chan?" a 13 year old Rangiku chipped after that first lecture. "Do you think boys are the same? Can THEY get pregnant? And do they have periods?"

Despite all of her attempts to distract her, Rangiku decided that she could not live if she didn't investigate. For some time, Nanao had feared about how far this investigating business would go, but Rangiku didn't care, and decided that the best method was surveillance (read: sneak into the boy's locker rooms in the nearby boy's academy). And though it was highly dangerous, the Nanao had to admit that she didn't miss a word from the 'reports' she brought back from there. A nun almost caught her once, but they were close to graduation and getting into high school for anyone to care. As she looked back on it now, Nanao had to admit that they'd be pretty scandalized if they knew what Rangiku had been doing behind their backs.

However, sneaking into another school to watch guys shower was one thing, prying into somebody's personal life was another. It wasn't just about to dissolve the secrecy, it was poking around in a person's heart. If Hitsugaya was as devastated as Rangiku described him, wouldn't it pain him even more if she stuck her nose where she wasn't meant to?

She told her so, and for a couple of minutes, the excitement in Matsumoto's eyes was replaced with real, genuine guilt. But then she said:

"I can be discreet, Nanao. He'd never know I was asking."

"Somehow, I have the feeling Hitsugaya-kun's not the person to share his affairs with people." Nanao rolled her eyes "Who'd you ask? His assistant? I don't think she likes you that much."

"Then what do you suggest? There's an open wound in his heart, Nanao."

"Why are you so desperate to help him? Are you in love or it's just the psychologist in you waking up?"

"Oh, Nan-chan!" Matsumoto got up from the sofa and went to the fireplace. She took the music box that stood on it and rolled up the string. The waltz from Swan Pond filled the room. "You know I'm through with love. But he's not some social experiment either...you KNOW I'm not like that."

"I do." Nanao nodded "But still, even if you're trying to be a friend, Hitsugaya-kun wouldn't appreciate it for its real value. Some people just...don't want the wounds in their heart to be closed."

"Well, he's going to have to swallow it." Rangiku said, and the light danced on her face as she whirled in tact with the music to stop near the coach. "He's going to have to swallow it, Nan-chan, because I'm not leaving it like this!"

* * *


	5. Our deep dark secrets

**

* * *

**

Our deep dark secrets

He placed the last book on its shelf and looked around the library. Call it a geek's obsession, but whenever he was nervous or stressed, he re-arranged the tomes in his study, just for the pure boredom. The mechanical movements, the monotony…it calmed him down. And to be honest, when he was angry, he did things that weren't very…nice.

Damn! A thousand damnations. He didn't even know why he was so angry about-that story with Karin was long over. Her brother had made it perfectly clear. And she…well, she needn't know everything, right? Look at last time they tried to be completely honest with each other. They hardly managed. And there were secrets everywhere. Even if you don't want them, they're there. And they come back to haunt you.

He realized now that it was probably the shock of seeing her so changed. And with a child, moreover. Hitsugaya couldn't believe that she, of all people, could've found somebody important enough for her to give up her career and please her family at the same time. He hardly managed at one of those things. But what was worse, Matsumoto had probably seen.

Hitsugaya wasn't the type to be delusional, and that woman was more observant than your average businesswoman. His behavior in the café just screamed "suspicious". However, he didn't have an idea about what she might do about that. And it was freaking him out.

* * *

"Ok…come to momma…" Matsumoto cooed and clicked on the 'Enter' button on the computer and then….

"CURSE YOU, YOU DEVIL SPROUT!!!!!"

Nanao tapped delicately on the door to Matsumoto's office, and entered without waiting for and answer. Hearing her best friend rant out loud was never a good sign, the ebony-haired woman mused as she watched Rangiku throw papers in the air and pace around the small room, growling like a caged tigress….

"It's possessed by an evil demon, I'm telling you. It's possessed and it's trying to kill me. It hates me. Maybe we should call a priest. Yeah, to perform exorcism on it. The little bastard! I'll make sure it wished it was never born…or made…or whatever! The point is-YOU'RE GOING DOWN! YOU PIECE OF SCRAP, YOU USELESS, SENSELESS, DUMB MACHINE!"

"Before you summon the Pope to perform your exorcism, may I suggest you call a technician?"

"Won't do. The damned Internet is too slow."

Nanao's eyebrows cocked as she walked to the computer and saw the annoying little timer show that indeed, the page was still loading. Taking the mouse with a sigh, she quickly restarted the wireless connection and ran a virus check up.

"You know, if you hate your computer so much, why not buy a better one? And why did you get so angry anyway?"

"I was on this research the whole morning, and just as I was about to finally dig something out, when the damned thing decided not to work. It hates me!" Rangiku pouted.

"It's a machine. It has no preferences."

"Yeah, well…All my work has gone down the drain, right." She sighed in exasperation.

"Not really…" Nanao pulled out the History list "Todai University graduates…is that it?"

"Yes, yes!!!" Like a puppy high on caffeine, Rangiku jumped on her desk and looked over Nanao's shoulder as the all too precious page opened on the screen "YAY! You rule, Nan-chan!"

"Tell me something I don't know." The young woman pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose "So…I take it this is not company work?"

"Oh, I did that a long time ago." Matsumoto waved her hand as she looked over the pictures of the graduates. "Isn't Toushiro CUTE here!" she pointed at Hitsugaya "It appears he was one of the REALLY late bloomers. He didn't grow up until he graduated. He's called 'child-genius' here."

"Wait a sec…" Nanao leaned on the desk for more support "You're telling me you're still on that idea of yours? About his past?"

"Of course? When did I give up on my investigation?"

Never, Nanao thought wryly as she remembered how one of those so called 'investigations' got them in a male strip-tease club for a whole weekend. She couldn't look at a thong the same way again.

"So…you decided that his scholar years might hold the key to the mystery or you just decided to dig out his photos to tease him?" she asked as she started picking up the papers from the ground. Boy, did Rangiku know how to make a mess!

"Well, both, I guess." The busty woman said "Since he's not much of a social person, I'm guessing that whatever dark, deep, passionate affair he's had with that woman must've happened while he didn't have a company on his hands. And since I doubt that he was much of a party animal back there, she must've been a schoolmate, or a fellow student at campus."

"And…how are you going to recognize her?" Nanao placed a stack of papers on the desk and arranged them neatly "You're not much of a physiognomic."

"I think I'll manage."

"Honestly, Rangiku…Why are you doing this? If you pry into Hitsugaya-kun's private life, you won't get him to come to Orihime's wedding with you. You may end up irritating him beyond the point of tolerance. And what about you? Why would you care if a young pregnant woman got his attention?"

"I'm just curious, Nan-chan. You know I am."

"But this whole 'deep dark secret' may turn out to be something wholly trivial and common." She pursed her lips "Do you love him?"

"Stop trying to trick me, Nanao. Besides, I won't find out if it's trivial and common unless I investigate."

"But it's his own private business. What's it to you?"

"I don't know." Finally looking up, Rangiku sighed, a lingering look in her blue eyes "I suppose it's the look in his eyes…he was miserable, Nan-chan. And you know how I hate to see people miserable."

"I guess you're right." Nanao nodded. "But sometimes, the desire to do good leads us to make some very bad decisions. Perhaps…the road to Hell really is covered with good intentions." Oh, she knew that all too well. Sometimes, she wished she could throw all those peacemakers in front of a huge screen and show them dying little children and scream at them-'This is the reality, and you can't change it, you damned hypocrites.' Sometimes, her thoughts could even give Gandhi a scare. But it was true-talk was cheap.

"A-ha!" Rangiku screamed triumphantly and clicked on a picture "Found something!" Nanao leaned on her chair, eyebrows cocked.

"I don't think Hisugaya-kun's preferences lean in that direction." She said, while looking at the photo of a handsome young man with orange hair

"No, this guy was the one talking to him in the café, and he also sat with that pregnant girl. Maybe they're related in some way, I don't know, but I'm sure it was him."

"Why?"

"Oh, come now, Nan-chan. How many people in Japan do you know who have a natural color such as this?" pointing at her own mane of orange locks, Matsumoto went on "Kurosaki Ichigo, Internal at Tokyo general hospital, specializes in neurochirurgy. Second best after Toushiro-kun of his year, athletic, head of the drama club…seems like a pretty decent guy. Oh, here it is-has two sisters, one of them is using the scholarship of the other to study in Todai. Kurosaki Yuzu, currently second year, specializes in botanic. Her sister, Karin, apparently, won a scholarship for her achievements in soccer, but decided to drop out of college because of…oh, lookie here-early marriage and pregnancy."

"So…you think this may be her?"

"I don't know, but this Yuzu here looks almost like a copy of that girl, only with blond hair. Let's see if there are any…Jackpot!" a large picture of a soccer competition went out on screen, showing the college football team gathered around a huge cup. The woman holding it had short, ragged hair and a tomboyish grin, but Matsumoto recognized her on sight "That's her, Nan-chan. That's the girl from the cafe!"

* * *


	6. Sighs over past loves

**

* * *

**

Sighs over past loves

The annual party Ukitake threw for his associates was always a matter of serious debating between the three partners-Nanao insisted that this was totally unnecessary, and that a company picnic would suffice, and Matsumoto…well, she was a party animal, of course she'd want it to be big. Ukitake thought that the advertisement was good for the company, so Rangiku got what she wanted.

However, this year Matsumoto surprised everyone when she proposed to enquire Hitsugaya whether they should do a party of not. He was a rather quiet person-he'd definitely oppose the whole idea. Then, the ebony-haired woman remembered the 'research' her friend was conducting and wondered if she wasn't just looking for a reason to meet him.

* * *

The night before the meeting, Rangiku had dragged her out to clubbing, and Nanao was up and ready in front of her door at 8.30 AM, fully ready to kick her out of bed so that she wouldn't be late. She almost leaped ten feet in the air when a fully clothed and ready Rangiku opened the door for her and actually presented her with a cup of smoking coffee.

"Have some faith in me, Nan-chan!" Rangiku sang as she went back to baking her chocolate chip muffins "I'm not always sleeping in!"

"And here I am, giving myself an hour head-start." Yawned the bespectacled woman, while bracing herself on the only clean drawer in the kitchen. Apparently, Matsumoto had woken up with the sudden inspiration to cook, and as a result the air was filled with the scent of vanilla, the sink was stuffed with dishes in which she had melted chocolate and basically every flat surface in the kitchen (including the ceiling) was covered in flower.

"I'll clean this up in a sec." Rangiku emptied the ediable-looking muffins in a basket and covered them with a cloth "Oh, I do so love the smell of muffins in the morning!"

"How long did it take you to locate the kitchen?" Nanao had already grabbed a mop from the bathroom, and, removing her jacket, started to clear the mess.

"Nanao! I always use the kitchen!" exclaimed the busty woman while she started throwing the dirty dishes in the washing machine

"Yeah, to make coffee. What's gotten into you?" Nanao started rubbing on a very annoying little spot on the floor "You always skipped housework classes in school! Don't tell me you hit your head last night?"

"Nonsense! Is it so hard to believe that I wanted to impress you all with my excellent skills?"

"Impress…Rangiku, you're not planning on poisoning Hitsugaya-kun, right?" suspicious, Nanao wiped some chocolate from the table and sniffed it-it slightly smelled of…bananas? "What have you been doing?"

"My banana-almond-chocolate ultra super special muffins!" exclaimed Matsumoto in one breath "With home-made chocolate, of course."

"Is that why it's so bitter?" actually, it tasted pretty good, Nanao thought, but decided not to push her luck "What's this all about, Rangiku? You NEVER cook!"

"Well, times change. And I love to try out new things. Maybe I should have a cooking night with you once in a while. Instead of those stuffy discos…"

"Rangiku…." Stopping her exclamations with a well placed glare, Nanao crossed her arms in front of her chest "What's this all about?"

Matsumoto cracked a grin. "I think that the best way to get to know someone is to make him feel comfortable."

Sighing, Nanao moped the floor again, even though it was spotless now. "What are you trying to achieve? If you're not trying to get him to take you to Orihime's wedding, or get his interest, why do you keep nagging into his past?"

"Because, maybe if he got it all out and came to peace with the past, he'd smile and open up to the world."

"What makes you think that he's not come to terms with his past? Or that he wants to change? Perhaps he's happy the way he is."

Matsumoto didn't answer as she slapped her shoes on, locked the apartment and ran to Nanao's car. Of course, she couldn't understand her reasons. Rangiku herself wondered for a long time about this thing, and for a whole night of tossing and turning, she came up with no answer at all.

At first, when the unfortunate trio Aizen, Ichimaru and Tousen had waltzed into their lives, many people speculated a passionate affair between her and Gin. They weren't making out in public or displaying their affection in any other way, but there obviously had been a more than few hot looks that passed between them, because the rumors existed. And up to some extent, they were right. Ichimaru Gin had been downright creepy and intimidating, but there had been something…awesomely wicked about him that attracted her like a moth to a flame.

Their 'relationship' had ended with their abrupt fight to the Bahamas, but even though the papers spat insults in the faces of the three businessmen, Matsumoto couldn't bring herself to feel angry at him. Why should she? She had known what kind of a man he was, even before he spoke to her-it was her profession to read people, and she never made a mistake. He knew it as well, that's why he never made an effort to hide his true nature to her. Perhaps the best thing in their relationship had been the honesty-neither of them felt obliged to be anything less than his true self around the other.

It had been…rather refreshing, Rangiku thought as Nanao drove through the traffic jams to their office. Men now days were so…complicated. They always, always had some sort of expectations, no matter what they said. It wasn't even that primal genetic instinct that the woman should stay home and give birth to babies while men worked to get the food on the table, but the fact that SHE was POPULAR! Her pictures were in the newspapers, magazines…even if she went to the smallest of towns, they recognized her. Men had this…idea of her in their minds, that she was adventurous, easy-going, the perfect date. That she never complained, never had any expectations, it was all about having fun…and when they found out that the real Matsumoto had nothing to do with that image, they started to sulk and lose interest, and actually feel betrayed!

At that point, Matsumoto herself had lost interest in them, and while she knew she got this on herself by acting the way she did, there was something that irked her about those kind of men, those kind of people. Maybe the fact that they were making assumptions about her was the worst. Really, the presumptuousness….it was almost insulting. Maybe she was a public figure, but that didn't mean she was public property!

The worst, she thought as the two descended the car, was that humans couldn't live without some proximity, without a connection with their fellow men. Sooner or later, she had to get another boyfriend, for the sake of not drowning into depression and loneliness…and then get terribly irritated over the expectations he had of her. What's with all those expectations anyway?! She had had enough of them from her parents, and she wasn't a big fan of Freud to seek an image of her father into the men she dated!

Love, Rangiku decided, was a hopeless emotion. All the men were the same. Even Gin wasn't much better…though when she thought of him, she couldn't help but conclude that he was probably the closest thing to love that she would get.

And Hitsugaya…well, she just couldn't stand the misery in him. To think, she had spend a whole day with him, and had seen him laugh, smile, enjoy himself, not act like some frigid child-prodigy. There was another him under that cold and composed mask he wore, and that other Hitsugaya wanted out! So if that memory of a girl kept him back…well, she just had to find a way to change that. He was too good to waste his youth in sighs over past loves.

* * *

The said prodigy seemed a bit anxious, as he stepped around the office, pretending to admire Ukitake's paintings. The man wasn't much of a Da Vinci, but the landscapes were very pretty and tastefully drawn.

Hitsugaya was anxious, and the early arrival of Matsumoto didn't help much either. He hadn't stopped thinking if she had told anyone about that accident in the café…well, she couldn't have, because she didn't know anything, but…she still would demand an explanation, he decided. After all, his sudden change of attitude and their cutting their day out short was more than strange.

However, the smile on her face immediately comforted him (for some strange reason), and Nanao's calm attitude assured him that the feat was forgotten.

"Muffin?" Matsumoto placed her basket on Ukitake's desk.

* * *

"So, I was thinking about a jazz style party this year…" the white-haired man began "It's both stylish and semi-formal. I think everyone would like it. And it won't be hard to organize, unlike…well, a Caribbean soiree."

"Hey, I was only joking!" Rangiku defended herself, while crossing her perfect ankles over the side of her chair "It was a good idea though…."

"Yes, well…it's easier to get a jazz band instead of native dancers…" Nanao, long given up the idea of discouraging Ukitake and Matsumoto from their idea, was playing along "How about you, Hitsugaya-kun?"

Divided between hunger and suspicion, the owner of Ice Dragon Computers tore his eyes off the muffin Matsumoto had stuffed into his hand and looked at Nanao. "I believe that it's not such a bad idea. And booking an appropriate hall for a short notice isn't too hard at this time of year. I think we should go for it."

"Then we should get started. I'll divide the chores and we might be able to send the invitations in about a month…"

"Actually…" sitting up, Hitsugaya seemed all business "I don't think we should wait that long. The autumn season is about to start, and our party will just be one of the many there are here."

"That's true, but organizing it is a hard work."

"Not exactly…" Hitsugaya stated "I for one can find us an available hall by this afternoon. Usually, that's the biggest setback."

"Yes. And a friend of mine owns a bar-I'm sure he can cater if I ask him to…" Matsumoto added. "He owns me a favor, so I bet we can even get a discount."

"And I know the addresses of the people we usually invite by heart." Nanao stated "I can sent out the invitations for tomorrow."

"You guys make it look like we can throw it next Saturday." Ukitake laughed "It'd be great, actually, because I'm expecting an important guest and I don't know what to show him for his first night here…only…how will we find a band in such a short notice." The white-haired man wondered "We'd probably have to cast a great deal of people…"

"Not really…" Matsumoto smiled "I have something in mind…but let's hope it works."

* * *

"Thank you for the audition." The bubbly red-haired girl smiled, while bowing thousands of times to Ukitake, Nanao and Hitsugaya.

"Nonsense, Orihime-chan!" Matsumoto crushed her sister in a bear hug "We should be thanking you, coming over to help out on such a short notice. I hope it's not much of a trouble."

"Darn it, onna, of course it ain't trouble." Grimmjaw, her sister's fiancé snarled "Ya did everythin' for the darn wedding, even got us a planner so that we wouldn't do anythin'. I personally was getting pissed sitting at home doin' nothing!"

"Don't mind him, he's just pissed he'll have to wear a tuxedo." Matsumoto waved her future brother-in-law as if he was an annoying fly "So, Orihime-chan, it won't be a problem for you two to play for us on Saturday, right?"

"If you cast us." She nodded, while picking her saxophone up "Though I have to say, I've never played for such great people before."

"It's just Nanao." Grimmjaw mumbled, seating himself behind the piano "And a bunch of guys like your sister. Ya shouldn't get worked up, Orihime."

"Thank God I got them that wedding planner." Matsumoto said "Hime is so easy going she'd leave Grimmjaw with all the worrying about flowers and speeches. I hate to see him worked up."

"So…those two are relatives of yours?" Hitsugaya enquired as she sat herself next to him.

"Yeah. That's my sister, Orihime, and her fiancé, Grimmjaw. They're both seniors in the conservatory, so you don't have a thing to worry about-they're both great on the sax and the piano."

"Hmm…" was all she got out of him, before the first notes resonated in the empty room. As promised, Hitsugaya had gotten them a hall in no time. All it took now was to approve of the musicians and everything would be fine.

The duo played a series of instrumentals, some of them slow and melancholic, some of them in break-neck speed, then Orihime set her saxophone aside and sang a few pieces with Grimmjaw accompanying her with a practiced hand. Some of the interpretations were rather…unusual, but you could see something in them, the way they looked at each other, the many little signs that showed how deep their bond ran. Like the way his fingers ran through the keys, as if caressing them, and the way her voice was radiating with warmth every time she looked at him, and the way they occasionally touched and a spark almost visibly ran between them…

Now that is love, Matsumoto thought with a little envy as her sister and Grimmjaw did their interpretation of "Misty". Orihime's voice wasn't as near as deep as Ella Fitzgerald's, but there was the needed melancholy and dreaminess in her. Orihime had always been a perfect dreamer, Rangiku thought, but Grimmjaw wasn't much different. Every time she saw them, she was glad they had each other. They seemed like the perfect lovers, like the parts of a whole, like in A. S. Byatt's "Conjugal Angel". When she read the scene when the half-angel appeared on the séance, Matsumoto had been both terrified and awestruck. Because she could imagine it, that half-angel, half-corpse, standing in that dark room, and she could see herself, holding hands in that circle, seeing it like Sophie Sheekly had seen him. A half of it was a glorious, heavenly creature, and the other was just plain, breaking mud…the feeling of being incomplete was almost as painful as it's words "I'm waiting for you." When she finished reading that novel, Rangiku had cried-not because it was so supernaturally beautiful, but because she could feel for herself that angel's sorrow, and be crushed by the realization that unlike it, she could never find that perfect someone, and that she would feel incomplete forever.

Yes, it was wonderful that Grimmjaw and Orihime had each other. Matsumoto just couldn't imagine her sister living in such pain.

* * *

A/N-Sorry if it's not very long. I decided that the blues is enough for one chapter. The novel "The Conjugal Angel" by A. is a part of the book "Angels and Insects" by the same author, and I must say that it was one of the best things I've ever read. I hope there is no policy against speaking about it, because it was simply wonderful. I can't help expressing my ruptures.


	7. Glamorous

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* * *

**

Glamorous

"Rangiku, where are my clothes!" Nanao asked, her wet head barely peering out of the bathroom's doorstep. The idea to set the party in just one week had seemed great, saving everyone precious time and spearing the dreaded headaches over decorations and guest list. However, as the weekend came as quickly as ever, Nanao discovered a tiny little problem-she had nothing to wear.

Ok, maybe that wasn't exactly true (women have big wardrobes, after all) but Nanao's contained mostly suits and…suits. And a really old prom dress. Needless to say the miles of chiffon and flowers weren't elaborate enough for a party. Usually, she just hired a gown from a shop, but the one took orders two months in advance, so Nanao had to run to Matsumoto and borrow a dress.

"The dry cleaners are supposed to send it here in fifteen minutes." Rangiku answered, carefully keeping the playful tone out of her voice. It had taken her exactly 30 seconds to pick up Nanao's dress and another 15 to make up an excuse for her not to see it (or object), before she had no choice. And Nanao, knowing full well what could happen in her friend's head, could only pray she doesn't end up the laughing stock of the party.

The ebony-haired woman came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her torso and another-in a turban around her head. Rangiku looked up from her nails, which she was currently busy painting in a blazing shade of turquoise, and whistled:

"Wow, Nan-chan, you never told me you owned such an elaborate dress!"

Nanao winced, suddenly feeling small and insignificant under the bright green towels. "Stop that."

"Why? You look amazing? You don't need my help to get ready for the party." If it was anyone else, he would've thought she was sincere. But there was that gleam in her eyes, a spark of her playful wit she couldn't hide, and Nanao had long learned what it meant-she was up to something.

"Yeah, well, I don't think this fabric is in, so I'll just leave myself to your knowledgeable hands." She stated, taking off the turban and drying her hair.

"But I am right, aren't I?" Matsumoto got on her feet and blew on her newly painted nails "You don't need my help to get some hottie to come around and…"

"That's enough. The party is to honor the people we work with and attract any possible funds to our companies. Not to…to…"

"Pick up cute guys?"

"Exactly."

"But Nan-chan…." Rangiku was about to start on one of her triads when there was a knock on the door, probably the delivery from the dry cleaner's. Not even acknowledging the fact that she was in her underwear, Matsumoto walked up to the door, took the clothes, gave the boy a tip and a bright smile, and ,totally unaware of the massive blood spill in the hallway, merrily skipped back to the bedroom.

Nanao took one look at the dress, before she stated: "I'm not wearing it!" As if she had just decapitated someone. "No way, not for anything in the world!"

"But Nan-chan…" Matsumoto wined "It looks good on you. I'm sure it will. And nobody can find the zipper on it, not unless there's a blues and you don't do slow dances."

"That's not the point." Crossing her arms protectively over her chest, as if that could save her, Nanao frowned "I'm not wearing it."

"Why?" Rangiku persisted, brining out her best puppy dog face.

"Because…because…" Nanao stammered, as there really wasn't much to say about the dress, other than it was really beautiful "It's red."

"Yes. It makes your skin color stand out."

"And silk."

"Silk is a girl's best friend….or was that diamonds…"

"And it's strapless and short and….I'm not wearing it!" Nanao blurred out desperately, but knowing full well the battle was lost.

"Nanao, anything that's higher than your knees is short for you…" Matsumoto shook her head "You asked me to help you pick a dress, and I am helping you pick a dress. You know the necklines on the others wouldn't fit you anyway, so why don't you just trust me? Besides…" moving to put the dress up in front of her friend, she grinned "With your neck and ankles, it's a crime to keep them hidden. Now be a good girl and put these on."

Her friend groaned desperately, grabbed the garment and disappeared behind the small screen Rangiku kept in her room. She hardly used it these days, after…well, maybe Nanao would want it, Matsumoto thought as she slipped into her own dress, pale blue like her eyes, with a glossy skirt and a pair of thin straps over her rounded shoulders. As she was brushing her hair, her friend walked out, pulling nervously and the skirt of her dress.

"What did I tell you?!" Rangiku exclaimed "You're the bomb, Nanao!"

"I feel ridiculous." She stated flatly and started pulling her hair into her usual tight bun. "Next time, I'll just go ahead and buy my dress."

"We both know you never do that. Which is sad, actually. You look totally HOT in this. If you don't have a line of suitors on your doorstep tomorrow, then I'm no judge of beauty."

"Or men, or me. I don't have as many occasions to dress up…"

"…Something which must be remedied very soon. You're getting rusty, Nan-chan."

"What's with you today?" violet eyes flashing behind the glasses, Nanao gave her friend a warning glare "You haven't signed me up for speed dating again, have you?"

"Nope. I never repeat my gifts." Rangiku grinned innocently "But I have very high hopes for tonight. Your natural good looks can attract a lot of potential boyfriends."

"What's the deal with boyfriends, anyway? You seem very interested in finding me one, when you yourself say that love isn't worth it."

"Because you have something men could love, not just big boobs and blond hair." Matsumoto pointed out "If somebody tells you he loves you, he's almost certainly sincere."

"Yeah. The key word here is almost." Came the bitter reply.

"What I mean to say, Nan-chan, is that you can't let one bad choice ruin you forever. I myself think love isn't worth it, yet here I am, making myself beautiful and trying to have a good time. Certainly you should do that as well, since your reputation isn't as infamous as mine."

"Your reputation isn't infamous, Rangiku." Nanao said as she helped her friend put on her long gloves "And if you're not planning to catch some guy, why are you all dressed in blue? I thought you loved green."

"I love all colors." She said in a defending tone.

"But you usually pick green."

"I feel blue today. Is that wrong?"

"I know someone who also feels blue…all the time."

"Nan-chan, I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no, I'm not trying to seduce Hitsugaya-kun." Rangiku said, all seriousness "How can you even suppose that? He's still a child."

"He's two years your junior, and you seem to have taken quite an interest in him."

"That's because he's being tortured by memories. I can't let him feel sad."

"And just what do you plan to do? Befriend him and make him tell you everything? If he did, Rangiku, he'd be much more than just friends with you, don't you agree? If he happened to fall in love with you, what will you do?"

"I won't let him."

"But you're not missing it as a possibility. Look, instead of beating about the bush, why don't you just ask him and get it over with, no fuss, no muss."

"Nan-chan, I can't just pry into his life like that!"

* * *

Hitsugaya looked around the hall, feeling very much pleased with himself. The light was soft, the music was fine, and the drinks and buffet were just right. Somehow, the young CEO felt in extremely high spirits. Hinamori had decided to actually loosen up and have fun, people came and he knew from Nanao-san that there were members of the Kuchiki and Kyoraku families on the guest list, so he was pretty sure Matsumoto wouldn't be using her inhuman attraction on him. Some of those guys were inhumanly rich, but conservative-she wouldn't risk wearing something too…revealing.

Little did he know that even if she wore potato sacs, Matsumoto Rangiku would still be irresistible. As soon as she entered the room, every eye turned to her and even Hinamori was quiet. But the biggest surprise for the evening turned out to be Ise Nanao-it took Hitsugaya ten good minutes to recognize his stern colleague in the dress she wore.

And obviously his hopes of being left alone were in vain as well-as soon as Rangiku spotted him, she grabbed him under the arm and dragged him all through the room, butting in all sorts of groups and introducing him to all the people there. "Hi, Kiyone-san, this is Hitsugaya-kun, I hope we all work good together." "Hello, this is Hitsugaya-kun, he's the newest addition to the board." "Good evening, may I please present Hitsugaya-kun to you! I hope you make him feel very welcome." Great, as if he was a student on his first day in a new school.

* * *

At that time, Nanao was trying very hard to hide between the curtains and escape the curious looks people threw her. Of everyone invited tonight, the only person she wanted to talk to was Ukitake-san, and he still hadn't arrived. "That friend of his…" the thought "Better be a really good one, because I'll die until the end of this evening."

Fortunately, there was a silver line in the darkness, or, to be more precise-a silver head. Nanao noticed Ukitake, impeccable in his black tux, not ten meters from her. Unfortunately, he was surrounded by a groups of people she recognized as their major stock holders. Oh, she wasn't going to him. Not in a thousand lifetimes. If those people saw her dressed like this…

…Well, they might wonder if there is a bonus coming with their investment, she sighed inwardly. But then again, how ridiculous did she look, standing there, behind the curtains, like a freaked-out child? Rangiku had had her moments of stage fright as well, but she knew that if she was to win ANYTHING, she had to make people believe there wasn't an obstacle that she couldn't stand up to. So what if the damned dress showed her cleavage a little-it was a damn summer evening, and if she wanted to boil up, she wouldn't have asked Matsumoto for help.

Sighing, she straightened her back, and walked up to Ukitake-san.

"Ah, Ise-san…" the white-haired man beamed a smile when he noticed her "You look wonderful tonight."

"Thank you, Ukitake-san." She nodded and greeted the other members of the party. They chatted for a few minutes before Matsumoto dragged poor Hitsugaya to them and their stock holders decided that it was time to get to know Rangiku's newest…partner.

"I hope you're feeling better." Nanao said as Jushiro decided to walk with her around the room. Oh, that was much better, having somebody by your side. Especially if that somebody walked facing the room, and shielding her somewhat like an umbrella. Not that Nanao had trouble with attention, but keeping a distance was the main reason she wore glasses when she didn't actually need them.

Ukitake smiled condescendingly, as if he was a teacher and she-his favorite student. "I've never been better, Nanao-san. Thanks for asking. Are you having fun?"

"Not as much as Hitsugaya-kun." She sighed miserably. She had never liked parties, not even the ones for her birthday. And since Rangiku loved parties, she had to attend every one of them to make sure she doesn't end up in some sort of trouble. Ukitake patted her hand compassionately.

"Don't worry. We'll endure it for another couple of hours." Then he slapped his hand on his forehead, baffled "Oh my God, how can I be so stupid. You haven't met Shunsui yet."

"Shunsui?" Nanao blinked as Jushiro quickly led her to the other end of the room where a middle aged lady was talking to a man. The woman's dress was short, even shorter than Nanao's, and her neckline was inches away from being indecent, but she hardly seemed to mind. She was twirling a lock of hair on her finger and laughed a bit loudly at every little thing the man was saying.

"Nanami-san…" Jushiro smiled as he cut in courteously "You look lovely tonight."

"Juu-kun, you old flatterer!" she laughed, almost making Nanao wince. Almost. "I hope you and Shunsui here aren't just throwing lines around."

"Who? Us?" Laughing, Ukitake put his hand on her back and said "Nanami-san, I believe I was Yamamoto-san somewhere around the bar. I think he had something to talk to you about."

"Oh, wonderful." She grinned. "I've been waiting for a century for that man to propose to me. Excuse me boys." She gave Nanao a level look and passed her, nose flying up in the air. Great, now she felt like dirt too. Not even wearing one of Rangiku's dresses would make her pretty, she thought wryly. But then again…what did she expect? She was never substantially glamorous, she could only fake it.

Then, all thoughts flew out of the window as she felt Ukitake-san push her forward and introduce her to his friend.

"Nanao-san, this is my friend Kyoraku Shunsui. Shun, this is Nanao Ise, my partner and…" that was all she heard. Gods, was this the night of the beautiful and glamorous, where she had been sent to atone for some unknown sin. The man standing before her was gorgeous. His black wavy hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, showing off his open, manly face. He was the only man in the room who wasn't wearing a tux, but that didn't fault his good looks. The shirt her wore hung freely and unbuttoned almost all the way down his chest, revealing tanned skin and flexible muscles. He wasn't simply handsome, but dazzling. And the look in his dark eyes told her he knew it as well as her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nanao-chan?" He said teasingly, taking her hand and kissing it. Nanao felt so hot she would melt into a puddle, but her features remained impassive.

"The pleasure is all mine." She answered, but her voice came out more frigid than she expected. Was she agitated?

The man rose with a smile, his bright eyes scanning the entire room. "Ne, Juu-kun, is that unfortunate young man Rangiku's dragging about the room Hitsugaya Toushiro?"

"Indeed." Ukitake sighed "He's quite at loss with how to deal with Matsumoto-san."

Kyoraku nodded, while his eyes wondered back on the woman in front of him. She was looking at Matsumoto and Hitsugaya, her head slightly turned on the side, putting an accent on her long white neck and shoulders. Very pretty, he thought absent-mindedly, his gaze falling on the dress she wore and the legs peering from underneath the hem of the skirt. Of course, there wasn't a woman that didn't look pretty to him in some way, but when he greeted them they usually blushed and giggled and laughed, immediately succumbing to his charm. It came as naturally as the light from the sun. Ise Nanao had just blushed, and nothing more. Interesting.

"Juu-kun, perhaps you should go there and save our young friend from those impromptu introductions, don't you agree? I bet he'd really appreciate the lovely fresh air coming from this window."

"I guess so…" Ukitake nodded

"You should have a word with Rangiku first, Ukitake-san." Nanao stated crisply "She seems to be getting over her head here."

"True enough." Shunsui nodded "Ne, Juushiro, send Hitsugaya kun to us, I'm sure Nanao chan here can introduce me to him while you and Matsumoto-kun have a talk."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Ukitake strode gracefully though the room, smiling at random people, while reaching the group where Rangiku had dragged Hitsugaya to. Nanao watched his immaculately dressed frame, then felt a warm palm resting on her shoulder and a breath with the hint of sake in it caress her cheek.

"So, Nanao-chan, are you having fun at this party?"

A perfectly sculptured chin barely turned to his direction, her eyebrow rose immaculately and her lips tightened almost invisibly, and then, without changing her perfect composure by an iota, a red fan shot out and smacked his hand away with one smooth, strong motion. He pulled in away with a stunned look on his face, but she hardly took notice to it as she said simply:

"Don't call me Nanao chan!"

* * *

A/N-Sorry it took so long and it turned out so lame, but I've had my CAE exam this week and I feel drained. I'll try better with the next chapter.


	8. Arguments

**

* * *

**

Arguments

Hitsugaya Toushiro was a fairly simple man. He liked things simple-there was no point in getting into complicated stories for no good reason. He hadn't had to learn the hard way to know, though he flattered himself to be strong enough to withstand pushy people.

Well, she had proven him wrong. In less than thirty minutes he had made more friends (or at least acquaintances) than he had in his entire life. And even though it was annoying as hell, he couldn't deny that being dragged around like that, being pressed to Matsumoto in such a way, was...well, enjoyable. Actually, he was beginning to enjoy it too much for his own liking. That's why, when Ukitake cut in and sent him to Nanao and Kyoraku Shunsui, he had been grateful enough to promise his firstborn as a token of appreciation for the favor being done to him.

Not that Kyoraku Shunsui wasn't like a male version of Matsumoto in terms of loud greetings and over exuberance, but at least he didn't make him feel uncomfortable, and Ise Nanao, with her composed and measured character seemed to balance the small company well.

"So, how do you like working with Juu-kun?" Shunsui asked, smiling casually at the young CEO.

"Great." Hitsugaya nodded "He's got the makings of a leader."

"Too true, too true. At school, he used to be the president of the student council, the debate club, and the champion in every spelling bee there was. Why, if it hadn't been for him, I'd have gotten myself in such deep messes, I'd…"

"You mean, deeper than usual?" came Ukitake's calm, composed voice as he appeared again with a smiling Rangiku skipping behind him. She didn't seem chastised, Hitsugaya noticed, but at least she was calmer. He didn't know what he'd do if she decided to drag him around by the hand again, or even worse-greet him with one of her infamous hugs. "Shun, please don't tell me you've been talking nonsense again."

"Who? Me? No, of course not! I was just telling Nanao-chan and Toushiro-kun about our glorious years in high school."

"Wow, Kyoraku-kun, that must've been a sight." Rangiku laughed as she stood next to Nanao and leaned on her "Kyoraku-kun knows a lot of cool stories, Nan-chan. Has he told you the one about the goat on the rooftop?"

"Hold on a second?" Nanao stopped glaring coldly at Kyoraku to look at her friend "Do you…know him?"

"Yeah. Jushiro-kun introduced us once, at a party. He's the only guy I lost a drinking contest to." Rangiku said with a wink, at which Kyoraku merely laughed.

"It was pure chance. Ran-chan came back the next day and beat me, hands down."

"You had a monstrous hangover, that helped."

"No, I was screaming in pain because I like to drink aspirin." Both laughed loudly, Nanao and Toushiro rolling their eyes simultaneously. "No, no, I never have hangovers. Ran-chan won fair and square."

"It was that year you went specializing in France, Nan-chan." Matsumoto answered her friend's unspoken question. The former sighed-as expected, Rangiku knew she'd cut her leg off before she admitted having an interest in ANY man. "Remember, when I worked in a hotel at Okinawa for a whole semester to earn some extra cash?"

"Right…" nodding slowly, Nanao quickly estimated that it had been seven years ago. "Have you been living abroad?"

"Yes, yes I have!" he exclaimed, after finally getting some attention he'd been so obviously missing. Great, she rolled her eyes, here comes the story of his life. "Actually, I've spent the last seven years in Italy, learning the art of pizza making."

"Pizza making…" Nanao stated in a neutral tone, pondering over the fact that one of the heirs of the richest families of Japan spend a good deal of his life learning how to cook. Maybe it was expected, she thought, money made men lose their minds.

"Yeah. Actually, I was looking after one of my father's companies, but everything was so boring I decided to learn something while I'm there. In the end, I made pizzas more often than I did paperwork."

"Oh…" How very intelligent.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hitsugaya decided to take refuge on the balcony and breathe in some fresh air. The weather wasn't exactly perfect-the midnight sky was draped with clouds, behind which the moon occasionally peered. There weren't stars, and the wind that blew over was a little chilly…but it was private, quiet, concealing…It was his kind of weather.

Wrapped into a rustle of silk, Matsumoto also appeared, holding her skirts up so that they wouldn't get in the way. "Having fun, Hitsugaya-kun?"

"It's not as fun as it is…eventful…" he drawled "I thought the guest list was cut short."

"It was. Then I remembered some people we had to invite."

"Oh…that makes sense." He wondered about something better to say, when the sound of people arguing reached their ears. Surprisingly, it didn't come from within the hall, but instead it came from somewhere below, at the entrance. A closer inspection revealed that the sound was coming from a group of ecologists, nicknamed "Friendly technologies", which, by the way, sounded terribly stupid. Hitsugaya, however, had had to deal with them more than once and knew that they could be a real pain the neck. Once, they had decided to ambush him after a late meeting, claiming that he had destroyed about thirty whales with his constant use of electricity and rock-oil. He usually ignored them, but if they decided to block the building in one of their annoying little manifests, there could be serious trouble.

He was walking out of the banquet hall and down the stairs to the lobby before he knew it. If he managed to deal with them quietly, he'd prevent the night from being wholly ruined. Too busy thinking about what to say and how to say it, he didn't notice Rangiku descending the stairs with him until he threw himself a look at the lobby mirrors and saw her gliding gracefully towards the doors.

"Matsumoto, wait…" he began, but it was too late-she was already out and was meeting the outraged looks of the ecologists with a bright, sunny smile.

"Good evening." She said casually, as if she did it all the time. "What brings you guys here?"

Of course they started talking at the same time and nothing could be distinguished. Hitsugaya braced himself on the door-there went any hopes of settling the matter quietly. However, Matsumoto listened with a cheerful smile and when the people paused to take a collective breath, chipped:

"I see. So you guys don't like the policy of our new associate, is that it?"

"Yes." A tall, skinny girl came out and stared at Matsumoto, with hands on her hips "We don't like the fact that Ice Dragon Computers exploit the product of the oil industry."

"But this isn't a party thrown by Ice Dragon Computers, it's simply our annual meeting and the CEO is invited. What is wrong with that?" she asked cheerfully "As far a I know, the company where I work hasn't committed any crimes towards nature and humanity."

"Aside from associating yourselves to that whale-killer!" the girl accused, pointing at Hitsugaya. "His company is using oil to run their machines."

"True, but many other companies do that. And they're not interested in sun batteries, like he is."

"But he's fueling the industry that causes oil spills at sea! Just by buying it, he's indirectly responsible for the death of billions of whales and the destruction of the ocean flora every year! How can you work with such a person?!"

"Now, let's be reasonable, ummm…."

"Mori Reiko." The girl introduced herself.

"Mori-san…" Matsumoto smiled broadly "Surely, you understand that every business is more or less noisome to nature. If I'm not mistaken, you family holds one of the most popular restaurants on this coast. Do you protest against every meaty dish your family allows on the menu? No, because all vegetarian restaurants don't get the same number of clients as regular ones."

"So your these is to promote those companies more noisome to nature over the less harmful ones for the sake of profits? True, my family's business doesn't save the rabbits, but there are animals especially bred for human consumption. Dolphins and whales are endangered without the help of companies like Ice Dragon Computers!"

"Of course, but Hitsugaya-san's company is not so much into producing, as into developing technologies. However, some of his competition is much, much more cruel to the environment than he is. Besides, most of the facilities run on solar energy. A person…how was it again, ah, fuels up the oil industry with the shampoo he's using every year more than the company of our new associate."

"You're trying to avert the question!" the girl fumed "You use clever tactics and empty arguments to defend yourselves against the fact that you've associated yourselves to Ice Dragon Computers just to get a sinking company off your hands and save money. Yes, they may not be the biggest fish in the sea, but using the existence of bigger threats to justify crimes against nature is sick! And it has to be stopped!"

The people standing behind her gave collective nods and a murmur of approval filled the air. Hitsugaya slapped a hand over his forehead, but Matsumoto just seemed curiously amused.

"The biggest fish in the sea, what a peculiar choice of words." She said, rubbing her chin "However, Mori-san, I must object to this. You judge Hitsugaya-san way too harshly."

"Of all the nerve! Don't you feel at least one bit ashamed to stand out here before us and lie?! Your hypocritical ways are...just…just…horrible!"

"On the contraire, I think the only person hypocritical here are you, Mori-san."

"How so?"

"Your clothes." Matsumoto pointed out "You don't dry clean them…"

"And I also go to a public launderette to wash them." The girl pointed out proudly "I won't waste power on trivial things."

"Indeed. That's very good. However, you use detergent, right? You use washing powder and bleach, as well as your friends."

"So?" her opponent asked, baffled.

"They're all synthetic cleaning substances. And as you well know from school, they use oil to manufacture them." Staring at the girl's shocked face, Matsumoto continued "Shampoo, conditioner, cleaning powder, bleach, it all fuels the industry causing oil spills, Mori-san. And even if Ice Dragon Computers uses its products, they take their share in saving the planet. With real actions…" she continued when she saw Reiko open her mouth to protest "So I suggest you do the same, instead of standing out here like a bunch of live statues."

She turned around and motioned Hitsugaya to follow her back to the party. On her way in, she turned around to look at the small group with a bored expression on her face.

"Oh, and one more thing-it doesn't matter whether you use a public laundry to wash your clothes, the waste of water and electricity is the same. It just means that the washing machine at home is not put to use. And you do know that, in order to manufacture it, one uses oil-generated plastic?"

They entered the building, totally ignoring the uproar they caused outside.

* * *

While they were in the elevator, taking them back to the party, Hitsugaya couldn't suppress a chuckle. "You sure set them right, Matsumoto."

"I enjoy giving my share of environmental friendliness any time." She grinned "Though that girl was emotionally involved-she thought we are lovers."

This time he really laughed-not a hidden chuckle, but a full-blown laugh, filled with happiness and energy. "She might have-she's got the bad habit of getting the wrong impression."

"You know her?"

"Yeah." Hitsugaya nodded "We took some lectures together in university. She tried to ask me out-"my fair share of charity", she called it when I turned her down, but I knew it was like that long before she approached me. Too bad-she never understood I was taken."

"Really?" thankfully, he didn't notice her coy smile "But…why would you think she did it out of the goodness of her heart? Was it that unusual for a girl to approach you?" they were back at the banquet hall, but they were standing near one of the open windows, looking at the lights of the city below their feet.

It was interesting, the variety of smiles he had produced over one hour-now it held a sort of melancholy, and a pinch of self-irony: "Do I really have to answer this question?"

"I'm a curious person." She shrugged "It's in my nature."

"Yes. But you're also a very intelligent woman. You're observant." He looked at her, the same sad smile on his lips. "No man is a closed book to you. I'm certain you can figure it out yourself."

"People have weirder hair." She ventured.

"Yeah, that's true. But most people aren't 1.50 m. high all the way through their high school. I grew up while I was studying for my master's degree." He shook his head "I don't blame the girls-there were much better guys all over campus. The only one that took notice of me wasn't even a part of the…" he paused and frowned. "But that doesn't matter anymore. My point was that they didn't have to play jokes on me."

"That's right." Matsumoto nodded "People like her…really piss me off. Not just because she plays tricks, but because she's totally hollow."

"Are you referring to your laundry argument?" Toushiro asked, amused.

"That too. Real nature lovers wash their clothes by hand with a bar of soap. But the thing is…Reiko and her buddies aren't really interested in saving anything. They're just killing time, wondering from one cause to another, raising voices, but not hearts. Blindly following somebody else's ideas, facing punishment that does not go further than a slap through the wrists…people like that piss me off. Just trash, a dead weight on their parents' backs. Men differ from animals because of the power of their minds, so why the hell are they not using it?" Matsumoto snorted "Really useless."

"I can't agree more." Hitsugaya nodded.

* * *

In the meantime, Nanao had managed to lose Kyoraku Shunsui and his glances into her cleavage, and was engaged in a conversation with one of the guests. The party was slowly settling down, the people were just listening to the fine music Grimmjaw and Orihime were producing, and the mood was finally suiting her. Some of the invited had already taken their leave and she was hoping that in one hour, she'd be able to cuddle in bed with her favorite book and the prospect of a lazy Sunday morning ahead.

Kyoraku was still there, but he was too busy flirting with some girl at the bar to notice her. All the better, Nanao thought as she strolled to get a drink from one of the waiters, but she couldn't help stealing a peak at that girl. In the polite society a revealing dress was considered an insult to the hosts, so it didn't show that much, but it was enough to suggest their guest was well-endowed. Of course. She was a much more worthwhile pray than her.

Nanao could smell men like him from a mile. Predators, attacking anything that remotely suited their tastes, drank like fishes and lived off their closest. She couldn't understand how such a man was the best friend of Ukitake Jushiro, one of the people she respected most in this whole world. They seemed like polar opposites. Men like Kyoraku Shunsui aimed high, but when they were shot down, they went for the first thing that happened to cross their path to restore their measly self-confidence. She couldn't imagine Ukitake-san being anything like that.

There had been, of course, times when she hadn't been so wise and she had fallen for that same type of men, but that was long ago and she knew better now. So why the hell was she getting frustrated because he had cut the chase so quickly?

Matsumoto walked up to her and motioned her to follow backstage. Orihime was taking a break and Grimmjaw was playing something on the piano, but the two immediately looked up when the red-headed beauty walked up on the stage and took the microphone.

"Good evening, everyone." She greeted the guests, now decreased by half "I hope you guys are having fun." There were laughs and nods all over. When they died down, she smiled and continued "Well, for our entertainment tonight, we must thank Mr. Grimmjaw Jeagerjaques and my sister, Matsumoto Orihime." More applauds "Listen, since those two are getting married soon, I think they deserve to be cut some slack. That's why…" she waited for the new wave of cheers to quiet down "…for the next thirty minutes, I'll take care for your entertainment personally."

Hitsugaya listened to that little speech mortified. Entertainment? What could she mean by that? Thankfully, Nanao stepped out on the stage and took Grimmjaw's place on the piano. Her long hands rested gracefully on the keyboard and she looked up at her friend expectantly. Matsumoto grinned and nodded. Nanao's hands rose in mid air and then, the sound of Chopin's Ballade No 3 filled the room.

When the last sounds of "the only ballade with a happy ending" died, Matsumoto sat down and played a duet with her friend. Then Nanao played and Rangiku sang. And the sound of her voice was, quite truthfully, the most beautiful thing Hitsugaya had heard in his life.

* * *


	9. Declaration of war

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* * *

**

Declaration of war

Matsumoto woke up around noon, which wasn't so unusual for a lazy Sunday, but the difference her was that it was NANAO tapping furiously on her door, demanding to be let in.

"Miracles never cease to happen." Rangiku thought as she let her friend in. Nanao's hair was hanging loose, her glasses were hanging halfway down her nose, and she had opted to wear an old dress that looked like it had been made out of colorful quilts patched together instead of one of her usually immaculate outfits. "What brings you here so early?"

"It's nearly twelve o'clock." Nanao mumbled, sitting down on her favorite couch and then getting up, paced around the living room, sat down, got up, repeated the process several times, before Rangiku finally brought coffee.

"Haven't you had any?" she laughed when her friend bolted from her seat and took a cup from her "You look like you haven't slept at all."

"That's because I haven't." Nanao stated between sips "I tossed and turned all night, and all morning, and when Ukitake-san called to tell me he's resigning I just slapped on the first thing that I saw and came running and I had no time for coffee or rest or…."

"Wow, wow, stop it right there! Rewind back to the part about Jushiro-san resigning."

Nanao sighed, and finally looked up from her cup. "That's right. He called me, one hour ago, to tell me about his decision. He's planning to take a three years leave to go to Europe and heal and he's going to set his…his friend, Kyoraku Shunsui take care of his duties in the company."

Matsumoto's eyebrows arched. Ukitake Jushiro was indeed very sickish, having his lungs damaged by pneumonia and they had never been the same. He had talked to them about the possibility that he might have to take a leave in order to improve his health, and the three had agreed that, in such a case, Nanao and Rangiku would be perfectly capable of running the company on their own. Sometimes, they had mentioned a substitute, but that was only to be expected-after all, some help was never unwelcome.

But Nanao had never been reluctant to work with strangers, and she had often encouraged Jushiro to take better care of himself. His leave wasn't going to cause a disaster in the company, so why…

"Nan-chan, what's wrong with that? He really needs some rest and relaxation."

"I…I know. But…why him? Aren't there any better people to substitute him? Do we even NEED a substitute with Hitsugaya-kun around?"

"Hitsugaya-kun is only with us when he's not busy running his own company." Matsumoto pointed out "And even with you overworking yourself, we'd still need some additional help."

"But…why HIM?!" Nanao almost wailed.

"Why not? He's Jushiro-san's best friend, isn't he?" she was barely holding back her laughter now. Nanao looked so distressed it was either comic or tragic. And since it wasn't tragic, it just had to be comic.

"And what about qualifications? What about experience?" Nanao was up on her feet and pacing around again. "What is he besides a good pizza maker?"

"His family's in business. He was running their companies in Italy after all. And if he had the time to go sightseeing and visit cooking classes, he must be just as prodigious as our Hitsugaya-kun."

"Or he left the work to his secretaries and clerks! How can we be sure he's capable of any help? He may be Ukitake-san's best friend, but you know how kind he is to EVERYONE!"

"What's the fuss all about? He can let his secretaries and clerks help us like he did in Italy and that's that."

"But now is a very crucial time! We barely recovered from…Aizen, Tousen and Ichimaru's disappearance, and only thanks to Hitsugaya-kun. What would we do if we get fooled again, especially when Ukitake-san is away! People will say that women are easy to fool because they fall in love with the bad guys!"

"Nanao!" Rangiku scolded her gently, making her sit down "Look, we both made a mistake, trusting Kaname and Gin blindly. Perhaps I should take more of the blame, given that I knew what Gin was and still did nothing."

"And you're saying that I'm not to blame because Tousen deceived me?" Nanao pursed her lips angrily

"He was a hypocrite. There is nothing wrong with you believing in him. That doesn't mean that you should give up hope for the entire gender."

"You have." She pointed out acidly

"That's not the same. I knew that I had fallen for a villain and I still kept on going-I lost faith that I could be happy with a guy, not that guys are all unworthy. Take Hitsugaya-kun per instance. He's still hung over his previous girlfriend."

Nanao just sighed.

"What really happened?" Matsumoto leaned over and hugged her friend "You know you could tell me. Why don't you want to work with anyone but Kyoraku-san?"

"Because I kissed him." She blurted out and immediately slapped a hand over her mouth immediately, the look on her face one of pure mortification.

"You WHAT?" Rangiku blinked "How did that happen?"

"I don't know. I think I had too much champagne and my head hurt so much I couldn't even call a cab. He offered to drive me, and I couldn't refuse, and he even walked me to the door. I wasn't drunk, but I was so hung over I just wanted to go inside and take some pills before bed. I must've been thinking of lips instead of pills because before I knew it, I was kissing him and he was kissing me back…"

"Really?" she smiled "And what did you do?"

"I slapped him and hid in my apartment." Nanao whined and put her head between her knees.

"Well…" patting her back compassionately, Rangiku could do nothing but hide a giggle "That explains why you didn't sleep last night."

* * *

Several days passed and Ukitake announced his going to Europe. Papers were signed and sealed and they saw him off on the airport. Kyoraku Shunsui showed up on the first day, and gave some orders to his secretary, before he left. Apparently, all he had to do is throw a glance at his mail and then sign a few documents and he had the day's work done in a couple of hours.

On one side, that was good, Rangiku thought, because it spared her friend the mental agony of being embarrassed by interacting with him. On the other hand, it only fueled her fears that he might turn up to be just like Aizen. Matsumoto wasn't that worried-after all, she had spent almost an entire summer in his company and she knew he was too kind-hearted to play a woman for a fool. But Nanao had taken the nastiest fall after the betrayal of their…friends. Gin was downright evil, Aizen was too good to be true, but Tousen had always preached about honor and justice-and Nanao had been the most deceived.

* * *

Nanao set her pen down and looked out the window. The sky was dark, the moon was brimmed by clouds, but a few stars peeked through. Her watch told her it was late, very late. The janitor was going to pass soon and ask her if she was going to stay in again, if she wanted some tea, if there was anything he could do for her…And she would smile.

Lately, she had to take care of more paperwork than usual, filling out the forms both Matsumoto and Shunsui were too lazy to finish. She wasn't angry-she knew things would end up this way, and she was somehow glad of the extra work. At least it kept her from thinking stray thoughts, or step through the threshold of her apartment-the place where she couldn't go back anymore without feeling a painful pang in her heart. Every surface she touched was cold, everything she saw was hollow, every room was empty…Especially her bedroom. She couldn't even look at her bed without feeling sick. She preferred falling asleep on her desk, half-fainted from exhaustion, to stare at her ceiling and think about thee trashy state of her love life.

Did Rangiku feel the same? Nanao knew she was hung over Gin, but she knew better ways to forget the pain than to cover yourself with work. The ebony-haired woman didn't even know why this melancholy overcame her…No, no, I do know why I feel so sad, Nanao thought in defeat, it's more that I wish I didn't knew.

Why did she kiss him? She had been drunk, but the reason didn't seem to satisfy her. How long had it been since she had been with a man? Nanao got up from her chair and paced around the office. It had been nearly half a year since Tousen fled to the Bahamas, or even more…and before that, she had hardly had a real relationship. Men were usually attracted to Rangiku, and with a reason, and Nanao hadn't really noticed the loss.

Somehow, the people she dated were always reliable and calm and…predictable, she thought with some disdain, and Tousen hadn't been much different, aside from the obvious little twist, and Nanao discovered with some fright that she had been in a dreadful need of some action. Of spontaneous ness. And that's what Shunsui, unintentionally, had offered to her. He was the very definition of spontaneous. Nanao wondered if, at that time of drunkenness, she hadn't believe that motive in fairy tales where a kiss solves all problems, or perhaps thought she could compensate something with the proximity of two so very different individuals.

But apparently fairy tales don't come true. Nanao couldn't believe her conduct, feeling more embarrassed and angry for herself than to him. If she could turn back time…

She wouldn't have changed a thing. Because, somehow, she had needed that kiss, even if it was just to realize her miserable state. Sitting down behind her desk and starting on a form furiously, she made up her mind not to think of it anymore.

Only to be reminded when there was a knock on the door and saw Kyoraku Shunsui standing in the entrance of her office, his trademark grin on his face.

"My secretary told me that you were staying late these last days. Is there so much work here? I didn't see anything when I come back at the office."

"Can you even see your desk from the paperwork?" she asked acidly, her pride not allowing her to look defeated in front of him. I'll conquer this, she told herself, I WILL CONQUER THIS!!!

"Oh, Nanao-chan, you hurt me. I was only worried about your well being. It's well past eleven and you're still here. Aren't you worried about going back?"

"I have my car." By her calculations, she still had two hours worth of paperwork left and she didn't plan to finish them at home.

"But what about your way to the parking lot, and the space between your threshold and the place where you leave your car? Anything could happen."

Is this mock concern, Nanao wondered, or he's genuinely worried? Because of that ever-persistent grin, she was ready to bet anything on the first, but she was still not a hundred percent sure.

She was so caught up in thought that she barely registered the words "I'll escort you myself."

"What? No, that's not necessary. I still have work to do…" Nanao was cut off when he sat on the edge of her desk, spilling paperwork all around.

"Do you realize that you're keeping the janitors here? Surely, you don't want to keep them from their families, and all this hard work is going to get you sick."

"Somebody has to do it." She stated calmly "If the others won't."

He pulled the form from underneath her arms and looked it over. "This is one of mine." He stated "No wonder you're working late, you're doing the paperwork for the entire company."

"With Ukitake-san away, somebody has to make sure everything is filled out in time." Nanao stated, pursing her lips.

"But those aren't urgent ones. I would've gotten down to them eventually."

"The key word here is eventually." Nanao made a move to retrieve it, only to have him get up and hold it over his head. And thanks to their considerable difference in height, Nanao almost fell over her desk in her attempt to grab it. Luckily, she stopped herself before she got herself into a…compromising position.

"Now, now, you can't stay the whole night." He said "If you don't want me to drive you, I'll follow you in my car to make sure you make it to your threshold unharmed." Shunsui grinned "If I get awarded like last time, I could do it almost every night."

Nanao's face lit up with anger. How dare he…well, it was her fault, but still…

She was about to make some sarcastic remark, getting the form back and finishing her work without him hovering over her, but she had overlooked one fact-she hadn't eaten anything since noon.

And thanks to her sudden getting up, she got dizzy and sick, and fell over. Thankfully, Shunsui caught her and instead of pursuing his teasing, he took her coat, her bag and carried her down to the parking lot, where her car was. She was too faint to drive, he said and without a second word sat himself behind the steering wheel and drove her in record speed to her home.

"You shouldn't do that." She said, trying to force as much coldness in her voice as the did in effort not to melt in his arms.

"Oh, I'm afraid I should. And thanks to that little stunt of yours, I'm afraid that you'll be taking some time off."

"WHAT?!"

"Now, now, Nanao-chan, I insist that you take the rest of the week off, or else I'll make you as your boss."

"You are a lot of things, but you are most certainly not my boss." She fumed as she hit his chest weakly with her small fists.

Shunsui couldn't hold back the smile. He knew Nanao was a firecracker, ever since he first laid eyes on her. He was so used to women throwing themselves at his feet that he had almost lost hope of ever finding someone like her.

After all, his family was famous worldwide, and people saw him as an heir, as the spoiled dandy, as on of the remaining 21st century princes, as the man with the unlimited possibilities. Women couldn't withstand the appeal of his money, and those who were raised in a similar ambience were tempted by his flirtatious ways and dashing looks. Which wasn't bad, but being flattered and admired all the time was so tedious and confusing…you could hardly tell a friend from a foe. Jushiro had been one of the few who had been able to be close to him as friends, and by the looks of it, Nanao and Matsumoto were the also in that category. Especially Nanao, who was so much fun to tease.

Icy disdain and a rigid look, yet, she was so much more. Those rare cases when a woman hadn't found him appealing had been when the lady in question was too old or too high-headed even to look at a man. Nanao was neither, and if he could trust Jushiro's account of her (which he could), she also possessed great character. From what Shunsui had seen so far, he was able to draw the same conclusions.

She was hard working, almost to the point of being workaholic. There was some doubt whether she was afraid that the company would collapse without her, or she was scared to collapse without the company. His friend had been incredibly laconic about the affair Aizen/Tousen/Ichimaru, but he had said that it had left the girls very distorted and they preferred not to discuss the subject. Interesting. Shunsui had always been the curious type, and he couldn't stand seeing a fine woman destroy herself because of something somebody had done to her. But for now…

For now he had to make sure she doesn't get herself sick. Nanao had given up hitting him and was allowing him to carry her into her apartment. Apparently, she had been working too hard-as soon as he disposed her on the living room couch with the intention of making her some tea and dinner, she had leaned back and had fallen asleep.

Yes, Shunsui thought, she is definitely a rare case. He was going to find out what bothered her, most definitely.

It was a declaration of war.

* * *

**Merry Christmas everyone**


	10. Summer rain

**

* * *

**

Summer rain

Rangiku placed the last ace on her tower of cards and admired her work with pride, before she yelled: "Watch out below!" and knocked it off. In the same moment, Hitsugaya entered the office and was immediately showered with a mixture of poker and Yu-gi-oh cards.

"Ooops…" she chuckled "Sorry about that. Guess I'll be writing apology letters."

"Matsumoto…" he growled, blowing off 'Harpy Lady' from his face "What in the devil's name are you doing?"

"Move Empire State Building in my office." She answered truthfully "Although most of it is on you now."

He wrinkled his nose. "May I remind you that with Nanao-san sick, I came to help YOU with paperwork?"

"Oh, that was a distraction." Matsumoto waved her hand in the direction of a bunch of papers "I already did them."

He sweat-dropped. "You have?"

"Yup. And I got sick doing it too…." She showed him her ink-stained hand and made him feel it in order to see that her temperature was high "I have a paperwork allergy, but if it's for Nan-chan…"

"That's…unusual." Hitsugaya mumbled "But…why did you get me out of my meeting? I thought you needed help."

"I do need help." Matsumoto pouted "My dumb computer broke down again!"

What am I, a technician, he fumed while he tried to figure out what happened to the computer. Indeed, he couldn't turn it on, although nothing seemed to be wrong. He crawled under the desk and started looking over the messy pile of cables, when his eyes accidentally fell on Matsumoto's stocking-clad legs. Oh shit! Suddenly, the room felt very, VERY hot, and Hitsugaya had to close his eyes for a full minute before he was calm enough to continue his work.

Gods, Matsumoto was definitely something dangerous. Toushiro wondered whether, during her youth, when she rode her bike the police gave her an escort to save her from the crowds. Suddenly, the young CEO caught himself comparing other women he knew with her. Hinamori, his childhood friend, preferred to make herself look like the modern Gothic heroine, with many perils on her path, and a melancholy charm. However, she was so melancholy Hitsugaya often wondered if any positive emotions got to her heart. She had changed so much after they had been kids, running around in their underwear and eating watermelon on the roof. Matsumoto, on the other hand, was always energetic, smiling, positive…he had a feeling that she could inspire a rock to write an ode to her, if rocks could hold a pen.

And she was definitely more…err…feminine than his secretary. Momo had a classical figure, but that absent look on her face practically killed all living beauty. It made her look too much like a statue, or a mummy. Matsumoto, on the other hand, had shaped up quite lovely during her adolescence, and she knew it. Her cleavage was always on display, her legs seemed to go on forever thanks to the high heels and flowing skirts, and even in black, she seemed radiant. Her cheerfulness seemed to have no limit, and it made her so much more beautiful.

Careful, Hitsugaya, he thought, you're on thin ice here.

This was stupid-she was just ranting about how much her computer hated her and he could only stare at her neck, awestruck. What was happening to him?

Well, he knew what was happening to him, but it wasn't something he wanted to happen. Love, as he had found out, was very sharp and flawed-one wrong move and your heart was going to bleed to death. He wasn't sure it had survived that last blow with Karin, and Matsumoto was nothing like her. She was…older. More experienced. And she definitely had better alternatives than a boy genius with weird hair.

So why the hell did he end up having lunch with her that day? And then dinner? And then breakfast on the following day? Suddenly, their professional acquaintance became much more intimate. Although they still talked of work and contracts, Matsumoto entertained him with stories about the working holidays she had spent, and he, in return, told her what it was like to be a boy genius. Not that everyone couldn't know that, but Hitsugaya was getting the feeling that their relationship only required a…a…"sleep over", before it turned into an affair.

And he didn't want an affair. Really, he didn't. He was still hung over Karin…in his own way. And they hadn't officially broken up, she had just…forgotten that he existed. Simple as that.

Still, how bad could it be? If he tried to be Matsumoto's boyfriend? He was trying to convince himself that this was not for the best. That it went against all the rules and principles of his adolescence. Even now, when he was a successful millionaire, he was still the dork, and Matsumoto was the party queen. No matter what he did, he would still be like the moon, only reflecting the light of the sun. She was so…so….And he was so…so…Dang! If somebody had told him that he would actually be thinking that he had a chance with a woman like that five years ago, he'd have personally accompanied him to the psycho ward of the nearest hospital.

She was known to have the highest alcohol tolerance in Japan. Not among the women, in the whole country. She was non-stop on the covers of the tabloids. Her reputation was as contradictory as her character. At first, he had taken her for a person who couldn't stay away from nightclubs and sake, and if he believed the media, her list of boyfriends was twice the height of the Eiffel tower. Upon his entering college, it was not only his instinct to stay away from such women, but his prime objective. Women like that were heartbreakers, more dangerous than a tsunami or an avalanche.

Yet the woman that you thought suited you best turned out to be the worst of them all, his mind conveniently reminded him, and she hurt you in a way you never suspected to exist.

Hitsugaya almost growled with dissatisfaction, but realized that he still had a full work day ahead of him and it wouldn't be good if he got worked up in the morning.

* * *

In the meantime, Nanao was experiencing serious difficulties in getting out of her apartment. She even tried to sneak out through her neighbor's balcony, but actually discovered HIM sitting on the sofa, drinking tea. And the darn bastard had had the nerve to wave at her and call her 'Nanao-chan', in front of the old lady that kept the apartment next door.

The young woman sighed for the twentieth time that day and tried to think. No Internet connection, no way to go to the office, because the darn bastard had parked her car god knows where, and apparently he had been lodging on her doorstep because the first thing she saw when she attempted to leave her home and go to work was his outrageous pink shirt. A nanosecond later she had been shoved (politely) into her home and told that she had the day off.

And every attempt she had made to get in touch with the office, or go there, had been cut off by no other than Kyoraku Shunsui-Ukitake-san's replacement and her self-proclaimed boss.

Ok, with all the paperwork she did, she COULD pass as his secretary, but that didn't mean he could give her sick days whenever he wanted. Or hang around her apartment complex to make sure she's resting.

Resting obviously meant staying at home for this guy, because knowing that he was watching every one of her moves made Nanao more nervous than a truckload of papers, and if she hadn't already been sick, she was sure that this man would drive her to the hospital. And she HATED hospitals.

Wasn't there a legal term for this? Could she get herself a restriction order, or something like that? Nanao imagined herself going to the police and asking them for one of those, and the woman's smile appeared in front of her immediately: "Really? And what reason is there? Him taking too much care of you?"

In truth, over-protectiveness wasn't a crime, but the way he was doing it made Nanao wish it was. The thing wasn't that he was actually skipping work to make sure she skipped as well-Nanao knew better than to expect something so…mature from a guy like him…but she was really worried about what he would demand in return. She hated obligations. She hated it when she had to return favors. Nanao had always been a logical, play-safe person, but she had taken on the risks and started a company with Ukitake-san and Rangiku, mainly because she wanted to be independent.

But once her independence had been taken away, she was fighting to regain it even more. Perhaps that's why she pushed Kyoraku away…

_**Knock, knock, KNOCK….**_

Then again, she reconsidered, perhaps I'm pushing him away because he's annoying.

But to her surprise, it wasn't Kyoraku standing in the doorway, it was Hitsugaya Toushiro. Nanao, too startled to react normally, peeked out of her threshold and looked up and down the hallway, before letting him in.

"Don't worry about him, Ise-san. I told him that I only came to talk to you, I wasn't brining any paperwork."

"Did he buy it?" Nanao asked in disbelief while she put a kettle the stove

"No. He made me leave my briefcase in my car."

"I'm terribly sorry, Hitsugaya-kun, I really don't understand why should he take so much upon himself when…"

"When it's actually his fault? I'm guessing that he's feeling guilty for imposing so much work on you and he's trying to make up for it."

"Hump. Little does he know that I'll have thrice the size of today's paperwork to finish when I come back, with him neglecting his duties like this."

"Well, actually, Matsumoto-san and myself have taken care of the most urgent stuff." Hitsugaya accepted the coffee Nanao poured him and took a sip before continuing. "You should rest. She told me that you hadn't had a single day off since you started this company, even when you were sick."

"She has, hasn't she." Nanao smiled "She's very overprotective, sometimes. She sees the whole world as her protégé."

Hitsugaya nodded. "Yes, that seems to fit nicely into her character outline. Ise-san, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you known her? Matsumoto Rangiku."

Nanao sighed and looked out the window. "Since forever. We met when her parents…changed locations, and she and her sister were accommodated in the dormitory of our school. Before that, I'd seen her, but I've never talked to her. Suddenly, she and Orihime became my roommates, and from that…well, we've been inseparable. Rangiku had the tendency to get into trouble, and someone had to make sure she and Orihime did their homework on time, and didn't blow the dorms up in their reckless cooking attempts. Or poison themselves. And then, somebody had to tell me to relax more often."

Then she looked at the white-haired man. "Why do you ask?"

Hitsugaya immediately blushed. "Well, I…er…we…sorta….we were talking a lot and….erm….you see…" he hadn't had three meals in a row with the same woman ever since he moved out of his parents' home. And even though it was fun, he had to take some precautions. If he was falling in love with that woman, best learn a little more about her than she told him.

In truth, during those conversations, she had avoided personal matters a little too carefully for him to ignore. Perhaps there was something to her that he had to know and that she was reluctant to tell. In such cases, it is best to go to her friends.

"Lately, we've been talking a lot and…" and he had began missing Nanao's sober-headed company. "Well, I was just curious. You are very good friends, yet you seem very different."

"That's true." Nanao hid a smile, but then suddenly, she felt very gloomy. Why was he asking her that? Why was he so interested in Rangiku?

"_Why do you ask me this?" she remembered telling another silver-haired individual, not so long ago. She didn't like the way he smiled, or the way he looked at her, but when he spoke, his voice was filled with kindness she hadn't remembered encountering in any of the man Rengiku had dated before. _

Just now, Hitsugaya had that same expression. And if she asked him again, she was certain that his voice would be filled with the same warmth and kindness. But…with Rangiku living in denial of men…could she really encourage Hitsugaya-kun like that? Could she send both of her friends on such a rocky ride?

Perhaps this time, she should warn one of them of it.

"Rangiku is a great person. She looks after everyone and takes on everything life throws at her. But she's very curious. If she stumbles upon a…a mystery she doesn't stop before she unwinds it fully. It doesn't help if anyone tells her to drop it, she'll just cling on it tighter. But…" she flashed a bright smile at him "If you ignore that, and forgive her, she's actually perfect."

Perfect….Could such a definition truly exist?

She was taken away from her thoughts when Hitsugaya unbuttoned the collar of his shirt and took out a stack of documents.

"I thought you didn't bring any paperwork over." Nanao exclaimed

"I can't handle these." Hitsugaya said, the expression on his face like the purest of misery "Can you..."

Nanao smiled again: "Sure. Just be careful on your way out."

* * *


	11. Rangiku's dating code

**

* * *

**

Rangiku's dating code

"Now, now, Ran-san, she needs rest." Kyoraku Shunsui smiled at the busty woman, who was trying, in vain, for over 15 minutes to get into Ise Nanao's apartment. "I'd love to let you in, but Hitsugaya-kun snuck in some documents and I'm concerned."

"And pray, how did he sneak documents in?" Rangiku asked in her sweetest voice. "I know you men have deep pockets, but…"

"Hid then under his shirt. Could you believe it?" Kyoraku waved his hand dramatically "And here I am, throwing so much effort into making my sweet Nanao-chan rest and…"

"For the last time, I am not _your_ Nanao, and if you call me '_-chan' again_, Kyoraku-san, I'll make you suffer!" the door to her friend's apartment was flung open to reveal a furious Nanao, wearing nothing but a bathrobe and a pair of headphones draped over her neck. "And if you do know my friend, as you pretend to, you'd know she wouldn't be hiding any documents under her shirt and if you weren't so blind, you'd have noticed it too."

"Oh, my Nanao-chan cuts me!" Kyoraku whined, but when she opened the door for Matsumoto to pass, he tried to butt in too.

BANG!

"Nan-chan, slamming the door into his face is so ru~ude." Her friend sang "Why not let him in? It's not like we'll be discussing matters regarding national security."

"I'm half naked, Rangiku." Came the dry reply

"You shouldn't have come out in the hallway half-naked then." The latter grinned "Though it suits you."

"And miss having my best friend over for coffee on Saturday?"

"I would've held off a little for you to put some pants on."

"Whatever. I've done enough compromising things in front of this guy to have him in my house." Nanao said, her good mood evaporating from her like water in a hot pan.

"But Nan-chan, he must've already seen your house. And what do you mean by _'compromising_'? You kissing him or you fainting in front of him?"

"Both. I can't let him see me like this."

"What's so wrong about it? And he likes you."

"Excuse me?"

"He likes you, Nan-chan. He's _singled you out_!"

"_Why_ did that just sound like something perverted?" Nanao rolled her eyes as she fixed breakfast, before throwing a concerned glance at Matsumoto "It's not…what I think it is, right?"

"Nanao, how could I have raised such a dense girl!" cried Rangiku, throwing her arms around her friend and pulling her face into her infamous cleavage "Everyone knows the only way to get a man is for him to single you out!"

Nanao broke away calmly to get the cinnamon rolls out of the oven and quickly placed them in three separate plates. Rangiku noticed (with some glee), that Nanao poured some coffee in a plastic cup and quickly placed it along with one of the plates on her threshold, before she closed the door.

"Is that an apology or an offer of peace?"

"He has been standing there for over three days." Nanao shrugged "And what do you mean 'to single you out'? I thought both parties had to be consent for a relationship to blossom."

"You speak like a matchmaker, Nan-chan. But you really are wrong. Take a couple on the street, and you'd see that they are usually very ordinary looking. What gives? The answer is that the woman has made herself stand out, and the man has singled her out."

"So why does the man have to be the one singling the woman out?"

"Because they're the ones proposing, right?" Rangiku laughed "In some way, the lady has made herself interesting to the man, and he has decided that he wants to get to know her better. It makes perfect sense. On the first couple of dates, nobody doesn't really expect anything, and if you're interested, you do something to keep the other's attention. After the third date, it's already turned into a relationship of some sorts and you're free to be yourself."

"That's a theory that has plenty of loopholes in it." Nanao stated calmly, while she sipped her tea "For starters, wouldn't it be lying if you're not yourself from the beginning."

"Come now, you don't tell the story of your life over the first date. You can't know the person, or the things they choose not to tell you. Besides, it's proven statistically. 96 % of the men I have dated have been the ones to engage contact, with me catching the eye of 28 % of them, with me being myself all the time with 12 % and with the other 56 % I had done something on the first date ,but afterwards, I has totally myself."

"When did you put all these numbers together?"

"When I got sick last winter. I checked my dating log and toyed with the calculator. It was fun. But, more importantly, those 12 % were my first boyfriends, and they weren't exactly what one would call a successful relationship."

"But even being yourself, you're extraordinary." Nanao pointed out "And what about that 4 % that hadn't engaged contact? Are you referring to Hitsugaya-kun?"

"No, Nan-chan. I told you, I'm not engaging him in a relationship of any sorts."

"Oh, so you can snoop into his personal life and not engage him in a relationship? Rangiku, I think he's seriously fallen for you." With that, Nanao quickly told her about Hitsugaya's visit from the other day and watched her friend's eyes become as big as plates when she realized their associate's visit hadn't been only about paperwork.

"But Nan-chan, the fact that he asked about me…"

"Rangiku, the only person who asked about you…who came to me about you, was Gin. And despite the fact that he ran, he did love you. And I never imagined that someone would do that again."

Rangiku sighed. "Yeah, you are right but…I think Hitsugaya-kun also has a darker side. Like Gin. Only…with him it's deeper and more painful. I really want to heal it, but I don't want to repeat the same thing as Gin. I really don't want to lose him, Nan-chan, and if we were more than friends, I'd definitely lose him."

"Do you think Hitsugaya-kun is the type to run off on the Bahamas?" Nanao asked, her eyebrow quirked.

"No, but I am wondering if Gin chose to follow Aizen because of me. I was getting serious, Nan-chan. And you know how I am when I'm serious."

"Yeah. You're really scary."

But you're not revolting, Nanao added when she saw her friend at the door. Rangiku could get very possessive and frighten guys, but the things she did weren't enough to scare away a guy that was completely in love with her. And he had loved her, she was sure of it. That look in his eyes had been nothing like the look of those other boyfriends she had had, the ones lusting after her body without caring for a minute that there is more to her than endless legs and a huge bosom.

The only reason she could come up with for Gin's flight was that there were other things to him than her friend. Not that he didn't love Rangiku. There was just something he loved more than Rangiku.

As the door of the elevator closed behind her friend, Nanao's vision suddenly became flooded by pink and a second later Kyoraku Shunsui was hugging her like an overgrown puppy greets their master. Nanao, being prepared for such an attack, flashed out a fan and slapped him across the hands.

"Nanao-chan, that hurts!" He pulled back, but not fast enough for her liking. "Why'd you do that? Don't you love me?"

Nanao didn't answer, her eyes staring at his gaudy shirt, trying to figure out what was wrong. Somewhere in her mind, a bulb was lit.

"This isn't the same shirt as one hour ago." She stated flatly.

"Aaah, how observant you are, my Nanao-chan. I changed it after I had some of your delicious cinnamon rolls."

"You went all the way to your house?" She wasn't familiar with his address, but from what she'd heard, the Kyoraku family's mansion was in one of the richest neighborhoods of Tokyo. And while her own living complex wasn't in the cheapest of districts, Nanao was sure the ride there would take more than a few minutes….

Until she saw a door opened in the other end of the hallway, and she realized that the ride home only took a few seconds. The pink coats handing in the corridor told it all.

"You…live here?" she mumbled angrily

"Why yes. My family has more than one home in this town, Nanao-chan."

"So I suppose that if I should move out…" she mused slowly

"We have property in nearly every quarter of Tokyo so…" the door closed with a loud clack "Yes, I don't think it's a good idea either."

* * *

Hitsugaya stared at the phone with a mixture or irritation and disbelief, as if the poor machine was the cause of his troubles. Ukitake-san was asking him to check his mail, a dozen missed calls from Hinamori and twice as much messages saying "Shiro, where are you?!" were recorded, and there was a text from Matsumoto, inviting him to a dinner at her place, that was supposed to celebrate her sister's engagement.

Her tone, of course, left no room for doubt-he was to come, whether he liked it or not. And yet…it would be better if he put some distance between them, for now. Right?

Then he caught himself considering whether he should be dressed with a coat or not and gave it up-she had the voice of a siren, dragging men down into enchanted waters to meet their end. At least those poor bastards weren't thinking when they were drowning.

Well, actually, he wasn't sure. Hitsugaya paused and thought about it-were there more than one sort of mermaid there? Orthodox mythology hadn't been his favorite literary genre, and he preferred the stories of dragons better…oh, well, what's the point? If Rangiku was a mythical creature, there was nothing he could do.

As he went through some old files and quickly picked up some comfortable clothes for the dinner, his phone began to ring. Having his hands full, and not wanting to talk to Momo at the moment, he just left it like that. However, when the responder turned on, it was not his secretary's voice that filled the apartment, but a wholly different person's, which made Hitsugaya start and drop everything he held in his hands.

"Hello, Hitsugaya-san. You probably don't remember me, but we had a few lectures together in the university. My name is Ishida Uruyu and I'm calling to inform you of an upcoming class reunion…"

"Hello, Ishida-san." Toushiro picked the receiver up "I'm sorry, my hands were full a second ago."

"That's alright. It's not that important." Ishida Uruyu, a classmate from High School and also a graduate of Todai, was now the head surgeon of his father's private hospital. Many people would suppose that, with such a settled life he'd be a spoiled and obnoxious man, but Ishida's only fault was that he was too proud and shy to actually approach anyone. If he was a little more handsome, he could pass for Austen's Darcy, or even Bronte's Rochester, but he was the type of man to blend in with the woodwork and only speak when he had to. It was strange that he should be bothering with class reunions, but he did care a lot about equality and tolerance, and Hitsugaya guessed that if he didn't call, nobody else would.

"I suppose there won't be many people to come either." He went on indifferently "Though Kurosaki wouldn't miss it. Or Abarai. Those two won't miss a chance to fight over Kuchiki-san. I suppose you should come to help me break them apart."

Hitsugaya laughed dryly "I'd rather not. Kurosaki's more likely to get into a fight with me than with Abarai if I come."

"What's wrong with you two?" Ishida sighed warily on the phone. Hitsugaya could almost hear him readjust his glasses. "You two used to be best friends back then, and now Kurosaki won't even mention your name. I just finished talking to him, and when I told him who am I calling next, he begged me not to say anything on the subject when we meet."

"You're going to visit them?" suddenly, he felt edgy. They hadn't related the affair to anybody but themselves, but if Ishida got suspicious…

"Well, yes. His sister's…erm…_confinement_…is drawing near, and he wants me to make sure that everything's fine. Kami knows why, their father's a doctor himself, and I'm no midwife, but I suppose he gets worried every time somebody mentions labor. Though Karin-san is more likely to beat the shit out of them for fainting on her or cowering like sissies…."

The white-haired man listened no further. He just stared at the blank wall and breathed evenly. Confinement. Labor. So it really had been Karin….And they didn't want to see him again. They didn't want to risk any reminiscence of those events that had been, in the past, so painful for them. Of course. Why should they?

"Thank you for telling me, but I don't think I'll make it." Then he added in a warmer tone "It'd be nice if we could meet."

"Yes, indeed, but…" Ishida's voice was cut off abruptly when Hitsugaya hung on him. Then, on a lark, he put his shoes on and stormed out of his home, his steps taking him through the warm afternoon towards Matsumoto's apartment.

_It was still really early to go anywhere, he told himself. He stopped several times and debated whether he should go back and call in sick, or continue his stride. The prospect of going back to his place made him stagger with pain. No, he couldn't go there, not for anything in this world. Hitsgaya imagined spending the night alone, pacing between the indifferent rooms, agitated, and suffocate more and more._

He passed a flower shop and wondered if he should get something for the girls. After all, it wasn't polite to come empty headed to a party. The message said that it was an informal dinner, which meant that Nanao and Orihime would probably be the only ladies present.

Hitsugaya approached the vases and examined the flowers in them. Poppies, lilies, irises, his sight was suddenly filled with bright colors and the smell of summer. What would they like? He knew every flower had a special meaning to it, and he didn't want to make the wrong impression. Nanao-san would probably like lilies, and given Orihime's cheerful personality, sunflowers or poppies would suit her best. He ordered two bouquets of three to the lady behind the counter, and while she took them inside to be wrapped, he examined the stands critically in search for something to fit Matsumoto.

Lilacs or cornflowers would really go with her eyes, but they seemed to frail and…depressed. On instinct, he dismissed quickly anything pink, and wondered if he should get a fruits basket, and then he spotted a few large pots, filled entirely with roses. There were white ones, like fresh snow, and yellow ones, like satin sprinkled with gold. But the red ones predominated. Bright red, dark red, roses that said "I love you, I'll be faithful to you to my last breath". Hitsugaya stared at them blankly, wondering how the hell could someone come up with something so stupid.

_How could the color of a flower actually tell with certitude the feelings of someone? There were so many red roses on display because people used them all the time, not because they were wanted. Cheating husbands deceived their wives with bouquets, or turned the heads of their young mistresses when the flowers were accompanied by an expensive gift. People used them like a trading coin for love._

_Suddenly, he saw it again. The tree which was crashing the car down was slippery with rain. Glass was spilled all over the ground, as if it was raining diamonds. Nature had won over men-their car was deformed so badly one couldn't tell what it was. He had tried to get Karin out, to ease her pain as much as he could, but nothing seemed to help her. But perhaps she was lucky, she wasn't awake to experience the pain. The pulse was failing, her face was ashen white, and the blood…the blood was everywhere. On his clothes, on his face, on his hands. Dark, bright, the same color as the petals of those roses he gave her earlier that day. Red….red…red…_

His head snapped up when he felt somebody's hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Matsumoto's face…or a part of it. He hadn't noticed when he had kneeled on the ground.

"Hitsugaya-kun, are you alright?" Matsumoto asked, putting down the grocery bags and kneeling next to him "Are you sick?"

"No, I'm fine." He shook his head hastily "I just…just…saw this…interesting flower and…erm…" his eyes traveled to the pot of tulips on his right "And I thought they would suit you. Excuse me…" he called the lady "Could you make another bouquet please. Yes, with five of those. Thank you."

He ran a hand though his hair and realized that he had broken in cold sweat. That hadn't happened in years…

Still sitting on the ground, Rangiku looked at him questioningly "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, great." He nodded "I was just…making a hard decision."

"You make hard decisions every day and yet you can't decide on what flowers you're going to buy?" now she felt more confused than ever. Unless…that was a symptom.

* * *

A/N-I'm watching too much House MD lately. Btw, Teal'c' s name is spelled very variously over the net, and in my country, we have a diffeent alphabet, so I hope you'll forgive me for the spelling mistake in chapter 4.


	12. Vanilla flowers and vines

**

* * *

**

Vanilla flowers and vines

In the end, Hitsugaya really needn't have worried about coming early, as Nanao and Kyoraku had already arrived. Shunusi explained that he lived nearby and he decided to come with Ise's car, as "My precious Nanao-chan might have an accident and then what will I do?"

His precious Nanao-chan answered with a smack with the fan carefully tucked under her apron.

Apparently, in Matsumoto's life, holding a family dinner meant calling their closest associates and cook the meal with their help. Hitsugaya was getting the feeling that all the events for that woman lasted a lot longer than expected.

It was good that he had brought flowers, though. Nanao seemed genuinely pleased and thanked him for his consideration, and Rangiku loved her bouquet so much she actually arranged the tulips in one of the niches in her bedroom. Kyoraku had brought a bottle of wine for the hostess and something that appeared to be a spice cabinet for Nanao.

Rangiku and Hitsugaya had entered the apartment when Shunsui was explaining to the reluctant woman why he was giving her this:

"Every meal needs a special touch, and my Nanao-chan needs it most." His voice was pure velvet, but she only answered by narrowing her eyes maliciously.

"I thank you for your…consideration…" she said carefully "But you really shouldn't have."

"Oh, Nan-chan! Stop being so…_formal_! We're not watching _Persuasion_ tonight, and you are by no means a good Anne Elliot."

"What does she mean?" Kyoraku asked, eyebrows high on his forehead "You mean to tell me that there is something my lovely Nanao-chan cannot do?"

"For the nth time, I am not your Nanao-chan, and if you dare tell him, Rangiku, I'm going to make sure that every recipe is carried out exactly the way the book says!"

"You're so cruel!" the two sang together, and then, without batting an eyelash, Matsumoto proceeded with her explanations.

"When we were sophomores our class was going to put up a play for the School Festival. Back then everyone was crazy over Jane Austen, and we wanted to do it no matter school restrictions. Finally, we managed to persuade the nuns that _Persuasion_ was proper enough (back then they didn't let us do passionate _Elizabeths,_ let alone _Mariannes_.). Anyway, Nanao was cast as the lead, partly because she was the only one who could fake such indifference and then we had to give the role to another girl MOSTLY because she could never hide that inner struggle. Nanao's always been so passionate!"

It was a little relief to see that he wasn't the only one to suffer from Matsumoto's teasing, Hitsugaya thought as he saw Nanao's face turn red and she stormed out of the living room. But then again, was it really teasing? The look on Kyoraku's face resembled the one on his own when he thought about Rangiku (in private).

* * *

Orihime and Grimmjaw arrived soon after, bringing a movie and a rather large watermelon. Apparently, Matsumoto's younger sister had gotten so attached to "Simply Irresistible" with Sarah Michelle Gellar that she couldn't live without it. Anything seemed fine with her fiancé, who bluntly turned on the DVD player and sat down on the couch with Orihime in his arms and ignored the looks Hitsugaya and Nanao were giving him.

"Grimmjaw seems very…possessive of your sister." Hitsugaya stated after Rangiku gathered the others in the kitchen and explained the menu.

"It's just his way of saying that he loves her." She turned the pages of a cook book, surveying them with a critical eye. "Nan-chan, can you tell me what this recipe says?"

Of course. It was in French.

"Éclairs, Rangiku?" Nanao enquired, critical "I'm not sure we have enough flour to cover the entire kitchen."

"Silly Nanao, éclair dough doesn't need kneading, it's done on the fire." Her friend pointed out. "Can you read this to me?"

"Is it really good for a guy to show his love through over possessiveness?" Hitsugaya asked again

"Well, yeah." Rangiku threw some ingredients on the table while Nanao translated the recipe on a piece of paper "At least, Hime-chan needs an overprotective guy. She's sweet and kind and giving, but she never takes care of herself, and she deserves a little looking after. Besides, Grimmjaw's not smothering her with affection-that's the most important thing."

Hitsugaya looked at the living room. Indeed, Grimmjaw has Orihime in his lap, but his hands were resting around her lightly, comfortingly, not squeezing, but holding safely. He seemed like a firecracker, but he took pains to be gentle with his beloved when he knew he had to. Toushiro's teal eyes lingered on Rangiku-she was just as kind and giving as her sister, but she didn't have somebody by her side to take care of her. Wasn't she missing the comfort?

"Matsumoto…" he opened his mouth at the same time she said:

"Excuse me, Hitsugaya-kun, but could you please take care of the chicken?"

He eyed the animal she thrust forward. Take care of it? Wasn't it dead? Weren't they making éclairs? "What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Oh, just bone it and boil it. We're making a grating with broccoli and blue cheese for the main course, you know."

_Bone? Boil? O-oh…._

* * *

"Well, at least in terms of kitchen disasters, I can say that you and Hitsugaya-kun are an equal match." Nanao stated as she watched Shunsui help their colleague with the knife "Mark my words, you two will be living off ready-made meals."

"Or perhaps our child will be a talented cook." Rangiku joked

"Really?" the ebony-haired woman seemed pleased "Thinking this far ahead?"

"Yeah. He'll have my hair and his eyes, he'll invent a cure for cancer and fly to Jupiter as well. And he'll be a National Figure Skating champion by the time he's nine." Her friend continued "With parents as his, he wouldn't have any trouble."

"And here I am thinking you finally started being yourself again." Nanao sighed

"But I am myself!" Matsumoto whined, wrapping her arms around her friend and putting on her best puppy dog face "Why would you think I'm not myself?!"

"Because if you were yourself, you'd have already kissed Hitsugaya-kun, dragged him to Okinawa to surf together, or gotten me and Kyoraku-san locked up in a broom closet."

"Oh, Nan-chan, you know I'm horrible on a surfboard. I never got the hang of it."

"Perhaps if you wore an appropriate swimsuit, you would have."

"Nah, extreme sports are too…tight for me." She grinned devilishly "But, if you insist on being locked in a broom closet…"

"Not another word." Nanao grunted and started breaking eggs.

"You started it." Rangiku stuck her tongue out "That's what you get for asking me about my personal plans."

"Isn't that a little hypocrite? You bug me for my personal life all the time but you just can't tell me about yours?"

"Oh, but it's simple, Nanao~chan." Rangiku smiled "You're still undecided and that makes you fun to tease. I've already made my decision."

_And I've decided…that I can't stand to see him sad._

* * *

In France, it was still morning. The sanatorium where Ukitake-san stayed was a picturesque three-story house, situated not five miles from the Mediterranean, near Marseille. It was built a hundred years ago and had, by now, been the home of the De la Coeur family for three generations. The vineyard the first owner had planted in the garden had grown with the family.

Sadly, the sweet wine had forced the present owner to move into his own sanatorium and have the house rented to a doctor who specialized in respiratory diseases. However, Ukitake's physician expressed a hope that M. De La Coeur would soon recover and live his life happily and healthily.

Jushiro tied his hair back and looked out the window curiously. It was a beautiful morning, filled with livid colors and fresh air. Yes, in such a beautiful country, he was sure that he would recover fully.

He wasn't sure what he liked most about this place. He could walk everywhere, enjoy a fantastic view, warm weather and great food. The doctors didn't confide him in his room, or suffocate him with unwanted attention. The chamber he stayed in didn't even resemble a hospital room-there was a wardrobe, a comfortable bed, a desk and even bookshelves. The only condition was no computers, but he could live with it-he had a lot of books he wanted to read anyway.

Yes, he was definitely going to enjoy his stay. Right now, he really felt like walking out. There was a tempting breeze coming from the sea, and the vineyards looked really welcoming. He strode out, nodding to himself, noticing that the puddles from last night's rain hadn't dried completely. So much the better-he had a good reason to pay attention.

Not that Jushiro was not a focused man. On the contraire, he was sometimes too concentrated on his work. But lately, he had caught himself daydreaming, and that was a little worrying-if he drifted off after a bath and fell asleep with his hair wet, he'd most certainly catch a cold, and then what would the doctor say?

He took a few turns, greeting some of the workers he knew, and headed for the newer sections. There was a lot of people out, Ukitake noted, seeing that not only gardeners, but also a few doctors were roaming the vineyards. Had everybody decided to take a walk? Usually, he enjoyed the good company, but today he felt more like being alone. Taking another turn and finally finding a solitary walk, he smiled and walked on.

* * *

The gratin had been made without any serious injuries, but Rangiku still struggled with the éclairs and Nanao volunteered to help making the dough while she made the sauce.

"Let me help you with that, Nanao-chan, a strong hand is always required…" Kyoraku's ramblings were cut off abruptly when Nanao smacked him with her fan and started to stir furiously.

"Are you alright?" Hitsugaya asked when the quarrelling couple's voices concealed his own from the fiancés in the living room "You look tired."

"Oh, I've never been good with cooking. But this is nice. It's easy." She smiled at the sauce.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nanao was struggling with the squirt. The stupid dough was supposed to be formed into small biscuits that were going to be filled with the cream, but she was damned if she knew it would be so hard. The stupid dough just wouldn't come out. She would've screamed in desperation, but Ise Nanao wasn't the type of woman to scream. Then, suddenly, she felt a pair of strong hands on hers, and ten fingers pressing exactly on top of hers.

"Easy, Nanao-chan. Don't force it, or it will break." Kyoraku commanded as he slowly helped her form the éclairs.

"I didn't know you learned pastry as well, Kyoraku-san." Nanao stated, although her throat suddenly went dry. She didn't mind the help but…wasn't this position…a bit inappropriate? His body was so close that only a few millimeters kept her from being plastered to his front. His large arms rested comfortably on her own, and her skin was slowly becoming enflamed by his touch. Why did he have to do everything so…slowly? Every move he made felt sensual, and Nanao was beginning to feel like a burning candle-the flame didn't incinerate her, it was eating her painfully, painfully slow.

"Oh, this is my favorite part." She blurted out and took refuge in the living room. Amused, Kyoraku followed.

* * *

"You don't want to see the ending?" Hitsugaya asked, peering through the doorway

"No. I never liked the dress she wears then." Matsumoto stated as she got the ingredients she needed and slowly dropped them in the mixture. The room was filled with the scent of vanilla and caramel. Hitsugaya turned to her and for a second, he could swear that he would see a white cloud floating around her. Slowly, he approached her.

"I mean…" she went on as she stirred "Throughout the movie, they picture her like a good chef, a little lacking in dress, but when you cook all the time, you can't be picky, I guess. But in the end, why can't she simply put on something more…classy than a bright pink gown and a tiara. I mean, there has to be something better in a five star store that can afford a billion dollar restaurant on the last floor. Oh, well, I guess it goes to show that men have no fashion taste."

"Really?" he leaned on the counter, inhaling the sweet scent and watching her face. Right now, if she told him that a plane would crash through the window, he would have asked if he should get an extra chair for it. From the living room, he could hear "Once in a Blue Moon", and when Rangiku brought the spoon up to taste the cream, his mouth became dry.

"Matsumoto…" he mumbled.

"Hmm?" she looked up and froze dead in her tracks. She knew that look. In ten seconds, he'd do something, and that would blow any hopes they had of a cloudless friendship to Hell.

But she didn't stop him.

Pragmatic as always, he turned the stove off before framing her face with his hands, and just like Tom from the movie lowered his head and kissed her softly on the lips.

She didn't expect something like this. Not the kiss, she knew he was going to kiss her, but she never thought she'd feel like this. She had been kissed many times, coldly, shyly, impatiently, had been bitten and had bitten back, but he…oh, he kissed ever so lightly, so sweetly, and so _addicting_ well…the warmth that spilled over her body sent her melting into his strong arms.

He thought that she would taste like the vanilla cream on her lips, or maybe of the sake she liked to drink, but Hitsugaya had no time to register something like that. Instead, he drew her closed and deepened the kiss, not possessively, but enough to suffocate every sound that could come out of her mouth.

They parted just in time, for Nanao entered the kitchen to help Rangiku with the finishing touches on the dessert. Hitsugaya excused himself with a smile, and, after throwing her one last smile, went out on the balcony.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ukitake was contemplating the shadowy passage and debated whether he should be coming back now. It was a nice day, but maybe the humidity wouldn't do good for his lungs. It was colder and darker here, and he didn't want to worry the doctor. He decided that he should check if this alley led to a sunnier one, and if it didn't, would come back.

Suddenly, his foot hit something. Jushiro jumped back, his eyes searching the stray root or vine that he had found, but instead met a worried, violet gaze. The thing jumped back with a startled squeak and to his surprise it turned out to be a young girl.

"Bonjour." He smiled, but the concern couldn't be kept from his voice. What on Earth could a child be doing in such a farther alley, couched on the wet ground on top of all? In his best French, he asked her who she was and if she was lost.

She just stared at him, her eyes wide with definite fear. Why? Did she think he was going to do something to her? Putting out his hand, he assured her in a warm voice that he meant no harm and asked her to tell him her name.

No response. She still seemed terrfied, and he wondered if he should call for help, when the sun peered over the vines and shot some light onto him. The girl's face slowly lit up and she said, in clear and perfect Japanese:

"Please, take me to Unohana-sensei."

"Did you get lost?" Ukitake stared.

"Yes." The girl nodded and took his hand "Please, take me to her."

He nodded and quickly led her into a brighter passage, then took the turn for the house. The girl was staggering and tripping, so he lifted her in his arms and carried her forward. With surprise, he noticed that she was much more heavier than she looked, and that her face had incredibly angular features for a child. Her violet-blue eyes shun with something akin to fear, but as soon as she recognized the outlines of the house, relief swept over her pale features.

"What's your name?" Ukitake was baffled. He had never seen this girl before, and he thought he knew almost every patient in the sanatorium.

The girl looked up to him and said: "Nemu", before she turned her attention back to the house.

* * *


	13. Three scenes

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* * *

**

Three scenes

Matsumoto saw her guests out, one by one. Nanao tried to lose Kyoraku, with not success, and the busty blond had the pleasure of seeing them off together in her friend's car. By her side, Grimmjaw roared with laughter, and even Orihime and Hitsugaya shared a smile.

"She's still as clueless as before." The man commented.

"And you still can't tell the difference between denial for clueless-ness. But it doesn't matter-Orihime still loves you." She patted him on the head. Since her future brother in law hated doing dishes, the two left soon after Rangiku mentioned cleaning the table.

Mercifully and unsurprisingly, Hitsugaya decided to stay and help out. She half expected him to do something like that, after he had kissed her in her own kitchen without anyone suspecting a thing-smoothly wait for everyone to leave, to have some alone time with her. True enough, the evening had passed like a blur to her-she hardly remembered anything of the conversations, of Grimmjaw and Kyoraku's teasing, or Nanao's scowling. It had taken all of her years of training to stop herself from blushing spontaneously and giggling like a schoolgirl.

They cleaned up silently, then lined next to the sink. She washed the dishes, he dried them and put them away. Very quietly, and very quickly. Their hands touched on several occasions, but whether it was accidental or intentional, Rangiku couldn't tell. The sparks of electricity that flew when that happened made her feel edgy and nervous.

"How can he look so calm and composed?!" she shrieked in her mind as her hands went over the routine-soap, scrub the nasty spots, rinse, hand over to dry, repeat…she did the dishes, then the glasses, then the cutlery and even the pots they'd used to mix ingredients and cook the food. She wanted to kiss him, and at the same time she didn't. She knew that it was only begging disaster to strike when they hadn't talked it over, but she wanted to get a taste of those lips again, and lose herself to him completely. How different could it be from the other times…

Very different, she was sure of it. Hitsugaya Toushiro wasn't a man to be impressed by her achievements as a businesswoman, or a beast driven only by lust for her. He had class, and education…And he definitely had more substantiality than the men that usually hung around her. Come to think of it, boyfriends had come as naturally as air and water-not once had she had trouble finding one. Matsumoto had never been lonely, because she had her friends. Up until Gin, she had never really missed a man either.

And now what? She wondered as she rinsed her hands from the soap and dried them. The smile that danced in his eyes said it all, but…could she continue like this? Was it possible for her to continue anything, at all?

"Ma…Rangiku…" he put everything away and came up to her. She gulped when the tips of his fingers brushed her cheek, and a rosy blush spilled all over her face "Are you alright?"

Instead of replying him, she closed the distance between them and kissed him back.

* * *

Nanao slammed the door of her apartment in Kyoraku's face once again, showing him that she didn't need his goodnight kiss. She got out of her attire, showered quickly, and got ready for bed. But as soon as she turned off the lights, she realized that she wouldn't sleep. She tossed and groaned in discomfort, shifted and fluffed her pillows, until she gave up, threw off the covers and walked out.

Her body was uptight and tense, and she had no idea why. She took off her pajamas, and slipped into an oversized T-shirt. She went through her apartment, putting insignificant things in order, re-arranging CD's and books, started a cleaning program on her laptop and threw out the stale milk from the fridge. She lit candles, did yoga, re-read "Northanger Abbey" and by the time her clock struck 2 in the morning, she was out of ideas.

Growling with annoyance, Nanao wished she had a piano. If she sat down to work her way through the Moonlight Sonata, or some fugue by Bach, she was sure to get her mind off that infatuating man and eventually fall asleep. As it was, her apartment held nothing that would require her entire attention, and distract her.

That Kyoraku Shunsui…Nanao couldn't understand what did Rangiku see in the man! He was impossible, and rich, and most certainly spoiled. Men like that were the type that believed that the world was at their feet, that they could get what they wanted no matter what, and she had made up her mind to avoid them like wildfire. Yet, there was no way to lose him, and he was on her high on her heels every time she ventured out of her apartment. And he was getting under her skin, Nanao realized. If she didn't do something about it, he wasn't ever going to get off either.

"Damn that man!" she screeched, slapped on a pair of shorts and her trainers, and got out of the place.

* * *

One of her employees had a brother-in-law, who opened a small sport's centre near her apartment. The man, a little worried about his brother and sister, had asked for her to help them with the paperwork about registration and other fiddly details. As a result, Nanao had practically saved the business from a demise at the hands of the authorities, and she had the exclusive permission of the owner to come over whenever she liked and do whatever she wanted.

Which, in time, had proven priceless, as Nanao's working hours offered no possibility for exercise, she wasn't the type to run around parks, and she was innerved by the presence of other people. Once, Rangiku had dragged her into a fitness, but she had a hard time concentrating on the work out-she had the feeling that everybody stared at her, evaluated her, compared…Thank God her friend had found the men's constant attention tiring and they had never returned again.

Nanao nodded and said hello to the security guard, who smiled in return and let her in. She knew the entire staff, and the staff had long ago gotten used to her sudden, midnight visits to ask questions. It was perfect.

She didn't need help to find the room she was looking for, but illuminated the hallway, just in case. She threw her jumper on the bench and cleaned her shoes, before stepping in.

A few people knew, (and even less understood), her passion for basketball. The school required that every student participated in some team because "The body must be exercised as well as the mind", although the nuns' primal motive for inventing that rule was to win trophies and build up the reputation of the institution. Nanao was neither graceful, nor artistic enough, to enter the gymnastics team, and she was prone to sun strokes, which excluded soccer and athletics immediately. Basketball, on the other hand…

The room was too small for anyone to get tired by running around, she had the coordination and quickness of thought. It also drained every bit of her energy and occupied her full attention, so she naturally continued in the University, and now…

Now she snuck into the gym whenever she could to throw some hoops. Of course, since she owned the company, she could easily re-arrange her schedule to come here in regular hours, but she couldn't stand the staring, and besides, it was abusing with her power.

Nanao shook her head, took a ball from the stand, and ran forward. She swiftly moved past a couple of imaginary adversaries and did a layup shot.

* * *

Shunsui debated whether to reveal his presence immediately, or just watch her. He hadn't been able to sleep, although he was more willing to blame it to the gratin than on anything else. He had taken a walk outside, unlike Nanao, who had decided to clean up her house, and had seen her upon her leaving the building. Curious as what secret affair might cause her to get up at such an unearthly hour, he had pursued.

He had wondered about her. Not many women resisted his charms, and none of them had been single, beautiful, or straight. Nanao was a charming person, but other than the fact that she was too intelligent for her own good, Kyoraku couldn't find a reason why she was so...unwilling to start an affair. She was beautiful, and he knew for a fact that she wasn't a lesbian, so his best guess was that she had a boyfriend, but he wasn't giving her enough. After all, why should she kiss him if she was happy? Why wouldn't she tell him immediately that she had a guy, but hid it?

His ideas bit the dust when he saw where she was headed. Getting past the doorman was easy enough-they talked, shared a cigarette, then he had mentioned that he worked with Ise Nanao, and then the man had told him that she was in right now. So he had entered to "pay his respects".

However, he was struck when he saw Nanao shoot hoops, run around and dribble like a pro. There was passion in that rigid frame indeed, but he had never imagined that it would be displayed in such a way. Shunsui had thought she enjoyed tennis or tai-chi, or ballet, or jogging-something elegant, delicate and reserved ladies did. But basketball…with her 1.60 meters and white skin, he could hardly picture her sweating herself off by chasing after a ball and throwing it through a hoop.

Not that it hadn't paid off in a great way, mind. Nanao was charming, and the excitement was doing wonders to her features. She was animated, alert, and extremely perceptive. Her black hair was pulled in a messy pony tail, and not a few strands had stuck on the back of her neck. He suddenly felt an urge to undo that annoying hairdo so that her locks could frame her lovely face and make those expressive eyes even more beautiful.

Shunsui remembered the feel of her lips on his. It had been brief, ephemerae, like the batting of a butterfly's wings, and it had been the sweetest thing he had probably tasted in his life. What would it feel like if he kissed her now? Would she be too tired to resist? Or perhaps she was doing this for some other reason than the healthy exercise? He never knew a woman, who'd deprive herself from the comforts of home to go out and play basketball. In the corner of his mind, he decided that she made an excellent point guard.

Nanao ran forward, jumped and shot. Her feet hit the floor at the same time the ball went through the hoop, she slipped and lost her balance, but managed to keep from sprawling on the floor. He saw her profile, lit by the pale moon, and then her head whipped around to see him.

Violet eyes widened with realization and mortification, but she didn't try to hide her state. Instead, she rose on her feet and gave him a level look.

"You sure have gone through great lengths just to find me."

"On the contraire, Nanao-chan." He retorted, although his throat had gone dry like the Sahara desert "I was just doing my evening walk when I saw you leave the building and I thought it my duty to follow you and see that you don't get in trouble."

"Walking? At this hour?" he mimicked her skepticism in his reply:

"The same can be said about you. How many women go out to exercise in the middle of the night?"

"Those who have a gym at their disposal." She said, but any other comeback was cut off by his loud laughter.

"There, my Nanao-chan, you are quite mistaken. There are women who have entire stadiums at their disposal at any time of the day, at any place of the world, but they rely on plastic surgery to do the wonders they refuse to do with their bodies. How do you sleep, I wonder?"

"I enjoy the sport. Sadly, I don't have time to practice it."

"It's a team sport. Don't you have anyone to practice it with? Isn't it boring that way? Surely, even a one on one would be better."

A one on one would be what she wanted to do with him, but thankfully, she didn't let it slip. "Rangiku was never good at PE and Ukitake san should be careful of his health."

"That's not an answer. Perhaps you can't have anyone to play with thanks to the…inconvenient hours of your exercise."

"No. I just…couldn't sleep." She gulped. Damn it, why would she tell him that.

With a smile, he walked up to her. "So do I, Nanao-chan. How about we have a little game right now?"

"It's too late. I shouldn't worry the doorman any longer."

"Oh, no, you don't." he said, grabbing her hand "Nanao-chan, what should I think of you? You speak so clearly, with such decision, but when I venture to know you better, you beat a hasty retreat! Honestly, how do you expect anyone to know you at all?"

"People can know each other without having to flirt with each other." She hissed, her eyes throwing angry sparks. To that, any other man might have been taken aback, but he just grinned happily.

"What do you define as flirting, Nanao-chan?"

"What you are doing now." Her voice suddenly lost its power.

"What I am doing now? Right now, I'm just looking at you…as for my thoughts, I'm thinking about kissing you senseless, and I have a good mind to do it too." He stepped closer. "Is that flirting?"

"Yes." She replied calmly, but the ball tumbled on the floor.

"And now, that I'm half-done it…is it flirting?"

"Yes."

"And will you stop me?"

"No." she mumbled against his lips.

* * *

Ukitake left Nemu to the cares of the doctors and retreated to his room, only to be invited for lunch at the apartment of Unohana Retsu, the head of the facility.

He knew her, vaguely, from fundraiser parties he had attended while he was still in Japan. His company always gave large sums of money for the building of hospitals in poor countries and was active in many schemes to help the sick and starving, and she was a charismatic speaker, who always got more people to participate than anyone else. They conversed, and she struck him as an intelligent, sensitive woman, but he had never considered them good friends, and he had never imagined that she had a family.

Appearances told him that Nemu was the daughter of Unohana-sensei. Even before he brought her in the house, he knew that there was something about her face and features that reminded him of the kind doctor. At lunch, however, as the doctor was thanking him for finding her child and bringing her back, he realized that he had been very misled about her age.

She appeared soon enough and thanked him herself, then apologized for her rudeness earlier. Ukitake, on his part, mechanically nodded and said "Nothing to it", while he stared at her with growing mortification. The person he had mistook for a child, probably twelve or thirteen years old, was actually a petite, slender young woman, who, by account of her mother, was to turn twenty that autumn.

Perhaps he made that mistake because she was so thin-and he had gotten so used to seeing children grow tall and develop early, that he hadn't made the connection. Still, it didn't make the first moments any less awkward-he had expected to find a young child, and now he was facing a woman! He had even brought her a candy bar, which she took hesitantly, as if she wasn't aware of what to do with it.

Eventually, the conversation started, and he had the pleasure of discussing books and music with Unohana-sensei and Nemu. The latter preferred the piano, while the former liked the violin better, and they came to an agreement that Bach was the absolute genius. Ukitake, who preferred Brahms himself, asked Nemu if she liked his violin concerto in D major. The girl seemed confused for a moment.

"I like Bach…" she mumbled "But I have heard the concerto you speak of."

"And? How do you find it?"

"It is…very gentle. Pleasant. But I like Bach."

"There's nothing wrong in enjoying the works of both composers, Nemu-san." Ukitake smiled brightly. She nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes. Yes indeed." Then she frowned "But their styles are very different. Bach believed that his music was inspired by God, while Brahms is a representative of the Romantic Period, where Nature was said to be the greatest inspiration."

"Many people enjoy both periods. You cannot listen to serious music all the time."

"Yes." Nemu agreed "Perhaps they are brilliant in their own ways. Although Grieg also composed in the Romantic period, and I can't compare him and Brahms."

"Grieg wrote mostly for piano. His concerto in A minor is still considered a masterpiece." Ukitake said.

"Do you know what he said about his music?" Unohana asked "He said that giants like Bach and Beethoven wrote their cathedrals, while he just wanted to make a good home for them to feel comfortable in."

"It is a good notion." Nemu nodded. "The third movement of that work is probably the best, although it may be wrong to look at it in parts…it's always played together, is it not?"

"Indeed. That's the way you should think of it." Ukitake smiled. She returned it shyly.

* * *

"You are surprised, Ukitake-san." Unohana asked him as they took coffee after the meal. Nemu had taken away the dishes and distributed the desert in small plates, in the kitchenette

"To speak honestly, I am." He nodded. "I've never thought you could balance a busy work like yours with a family. I, myself, can arrange my working hours, and still I have no time for a personal life."

"I wish I could give you some advice, but I'm afraid I'm far from being the ideal mother." She sighed, rubbing her forehead "Sometimes I wonder how could've I been so blind and stupid as not to see what was happening right before me."

"She's…a beautiful child, Unohana-sensei." He complimented. Nemu had pulled her midnight hair in a braid, but it only made her pale skin and beautiful features stand out.

"A girl-woman." She sighed "They say it's the most dangerous time, but I have the feeling that I've failed already. Perhaps you never expected her to be so…old, Ukitake-san."

"Oh, actually, I mistook her for a middle-school student, myself."

"I got married on an impulse. Sometimes, I think it was the most stupid thing I've done in my life. Not because of Nemu, but because of the things I couldn't give her." She looked at him "Ukitake-san, if I said I have a…favor to ask of you…would you accept it?"

"As long as I am capable to be of any help." He said.

"Be assured that I wouldn't have asked this of you if I wasn't sure that you were the only one who could help me. You see…only recently, the court granted me full custody of Nemu, as her father…Kurotsuchi Mayuri…proved to be incapable of taking care of her. However, by the time I got her, she was already in too deep, I wasn't sure that I could help her. You may not believe it, but today she's said more than I've ever heard her utter since we arrived here. I will not go into details, but I feared she was damaged beyond repair."

She sighed sadly. "I won't try to excuse myself by blaming it all on him. My own conduct is unpardonable. I wish I could do more, but all my efforts so far have proven…worthless. I've tried everything, but only today, she decided to open up. I think it's because of you, Ukitake-san. She trusts you and you give her confidence."

Unohana put her cup down and said:

"That's why I wanted to ask you…if you could spend some time every day with her. She may come to your room, or you can go out on walks…I'm not asking you to psychoanalyze her, all you have to do is speak casually with her. I've been trying to create a comfortable environment for her, but she senses when someone is tense and unwilling. You are so kind to her, however, and speak so freely, that I'm thinking that you might help her."

"Unohana-sensei…" he began "I really appreciate the trust you give me, but I'm not sure that I can do this." After all, he hadn't been of much help to his own friends. He hadn't been able to console Rangiku or Nanao when they were abandoned, he hadn't helped much in the integration of Shunsui and Toushiro in the company, and he certainly hadn't been the ideal matchmaker for those guys. He wasn't sure that he could even handle a pet, let alone a human being.

Then again, he reconsidered, all he had to do is talk to her. And they had plenty in common. The life in the province was picturesque and sweet, but dull, and without being allowed to work, he felt that he would soon grow bored. The opportunity was good-he could have an intelligent conversation with a sweet girl and help more than one person. How bad could it be?

Nodding slowly, he agreed.

* * *


	14. Summer sunshine

**Today's song: "Summer sunshine" by the Corrs. See the video, you'll know why.

* * *

**

Summer sunshine

Matsumoto was unhappy. Well, it was guilty unhappiness, the type that was usually evaporated after a kiss for good morning and a large mug of hot chocolate, but still, it considerably lessened her joy when she woke up in the morning after the house party.

Hitsugaya wasn't there. They'd spent a good deal of their time kissing on the couch, but then he'd apologized for not being able to stay. "Hinamori's developed a nasty habit to call me early in the morning to check on me."

"We shouldn't convoke her fury then." She smiled softly

"I'll come back tomorrow." He whispered against her lips

"I know." She mumbled back.

_Everyone's changing, I stay the same  
I'm... a solo cello outside a chorus  
I've got a secret,  
It's time for me to tell that you've been keeping me warm  
_

As she moved around the kitchen and prepared breakfast for herself, Rangiku thought carefully about the way she should go about this. There was obviously no way to avoid this, so she had to be open from the beginning and get all the skeletons out of her closet…and his, hopefully. If they were still on friendly terms, then maybe things could go well.

She looked at the phone-there were a couple of messages from Nanao, stating that she had decided to dedicate her Sunday on working out and begged her not to call. The tone of her friend's voice would've usually urged Rangiku to call and find out what the problem was, but now the blond was too busy thinking about her own problems to wonder why she sounded so miserable. Turning the phone off, Matsumoto went to the task of cleaning any possible mess in her apartment, and then sat down to wait.

It didn't take long. The bell rang as soon as the clock struck nine, and she couldn't help but giggle at his appearance when she opened the door. His hair was disheveled, and his clothes had wrinkles on them. He looked like he'd been pacing around the parking, waiting for an appropriate time to call.

"You should've come up immediately." She smiled as she led him in "I've been up for a while now."

"I know…" he said, a little confused "But I thought that…I shouldn't wake you up…"

"Even if you had, I wouldn't have been mad at you." Rangiku said "Toushiro-kun, I…"

He silenced her with a kiss. A sweet, swearing kiss that quickly blew all coherent thought out of her head. Any suspicion that Hinamori had been an excuse to get away from her vanished when he lead her gently away from the door and into the apartment. She remembered when she swore never to let a man touch her without knowing what she was getting into…and now she was letting him. But confusion and worry had no place with them for now-he made them vanish away as easily as he had with her doubts.

_Just sweet beginnings and bitter endings  
In coffee city, we borrowed heaven  
Don't give it back, I've never felt so wanted  
Are you taking me home?_

Needless to say that any talking was done until later that day. They were laying in her bed, the sheets wrapped around them like improvised robes. Rangiku ran her fingers through his snowy hair as his head rested in her lap, and she let a small smile cross her face when she noticed how ticklish he was on the neck. However, she still needed to tell him something…and she was still gathering up her courage to do so…

_You tell me you have to go...  
_

"Are you alright?" he opened his eyes and looked straight into hers. Stupid question, of course she wasn't. That look on her face told it all "Was it…bad?"

"Huh? No! No, of course not! I just…ugh…" Get it over with, she urged herself, spill it out while you can still form complete sentences. "I have a confession to make!"

"Oh?" Finally, he realized that maybe it'd be easier for her to talk if they were in a different position. Hitsugaya sat up, but stayed close enough to her and brushed away some strawberry blond hair from her face. "What is it?"

"I…well, the first time we went out…No, I better start this off properly…" she took a deep breath, before she began "When I met you, I thought that it would be great to get to know you. You struck me as a very…reserved person, and I wanted to make you open up a little, because, honestly, I thought it was a shame to hide such a great personality. So, if you ask me when I came to love you, I'll say that it came later…but that doesn't mean that I don't. I truly care for you, but…for a few reasons, I wanted to keep this from happening…so that I wouldn't hurt you."

The look on his face told her that he obviously didn't see why she should think like that. But he didn't say anything-he just nodded at her to continue.

"You see, when I met you, I was still recovering from…from Ichimaru Gin's disappearance. You might have heard rumors that we were lovers…which are true…Although we agreed that there wasn't anything between us, it still left me devastated. And I thought that I better leave it off for a while…least I hurt someone involuntarily. But then…I saw you talking to that guy, in the café, back on the science fair, and I wanted to know more…."

"Your…curiosity issue?" Hitsugaya murmured "Nanao-san mentioned something about that."

"I suppose she tried to warn you." Rangiku laughed "She's such a good friend."

"She told me you were like a dog with a bone when it came to a mystery." He let a small smile slip him "So I suppose that you already know all about it?"

"Not exactly. I did some searching and found out who the guy was…and who the girl was too. But I don't know the particulars, I only thought that you and Kurosaki-san have been close and then broke up." She swallowed "Hitsugaya-kun, I really am sorry. I realize that this was most certainly none of my business, and that I should've just let it be, but you looked so devastated…I know that doesn't excuse me, right? We all have our curses to bear, and I was certainly not sharing mine with you…But when I saw that look on your face, I thought that I've never seen anyone so unhappy before in my life. I thought that it wasn't fair, for you to live with such a burden without getting it off your shoulders…I knew that you wouldn't approve of me sticking my nose into your affairs, so I didn't tell you earlier…but now that we're…together, like this…I think that you should know it all…and I hope that we can still go on."

_Now that you've left me, there's no returning  
I keep comparing, you're always winning  
I try to be strong but you'll never be more wanted  
Will you make me at home?  
_

She breathed-there, it was said. The bomb was dropped ,or whatever they said. She was ready to face the music. Now it was up to him.

His head had dropped, and his hair was falling in his face, hiding his expression from her. Clinging on the sheets around her, Rangiku wondered how long it would take him to get up and leave her alone, when he suddenly looked up and smiled:

"Silly. I should be the one apologizing."

_Don't tell me you have to go...  
_

Rangiku's eyes gained the size of dinner plates when he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. "Why?" was all she managed, then he sighed and explained:

"I should've told you from the beginning. I know it's stupid, but from the first moment, I was drawn to you. When we went out, I felt that I already knew you. My behavior back then was suspicious, and I should've expected that you would be worried. Had my pride not stopped me from discussing it with you, you wouldn't have felt so bad."

"But…it's a personal matter, isn't it?"

"Yes. And like I said, I felt close to you…closer than with any other human being. Yet I decided to close up and grieve alone. I just…I suppose I should say that I've been alone a long time and don't know how to open up to people, but that's hardly an excuse."

"But…what happened?" she asked, scooting over to him and then ran her fingers through his hair "You don't have to tell me, but…"

"It's ok." He smiled "It's an old story anyways. Karin….her brother was in one of my classes, and he was honestly the only person that didn't treat me like some piece of trash. Before that, everybody saw me as the nerd, the freak, the prodigy…and prodigies aren't supposed to have feelings. You've probably encountered that-people, who thing gifted children need some special attention. My own parents were nearly convinced to hand me over to one of those orders that think premature children are messengers from another race, and thought they should meditate all day and eat nothing but carrots." Hitsugaya shook his head "Kurosaki Ichigo was the only person who treated me normally. He was third in the class, after me and another man, Ishida Uruyu. He was smart, but didn't take it as anything special. I guess I admired his…easy-going attitude."

"Anyway…" he continued "I met his family, and one day I played a soccer game with his sister, Karin. I was in love after the first goal! I thought that I would die if I didn't have her, and started courting her. I was the idiot prodigy, until she had some mercy on me and confessed that she felt the same. We dated, made love, drew plans…the kind of plans you draw in university and never accomplish. But we were happy fools. Fools in love."

"So what happened?" she asked

"We had different wishes. Karin wanted to be a soccer star, even though she wanted to be with me. I wanted a family, and I guess I was a little jealous of the opportunities she had…just because she was normal. Soccer, or a desk job is not good enough for a prodigy, you see. People had expectations, and I couldn't turn down the idea. Anyway…she got pregnant. I suppose that it was either's fault, but I was the one who wanted it most. When she told me, we decided to get engaged, and make it official for the sake of her family. Everyone was happy and stuff, and I thought things couldn't be better. Back then I didn't suppose that she could think otherwise."

His eyes darkened as the memory returned-vivid and real, like it had been just yesterday.

"One night, we were coming back from a party at her family's clinic. She hadn't had any alcohol, or so I thought, because of the baby, so I let her drive. It was raining, there were some broken lamps…I told her to slow down, but she just shook her head and kept driving. We fought a little, I was trying to tell her to take it easy, but she didn't listen. Suddenly, she yelled at me to shut up, that I had ruined her life and that I should be happy with the fact that she was going along with it. Next thing I knew, we flew off the road and hit a tree." Hitsuagya shook his head.

"I was fine, but she lost the baby then and there. On top of all, the doctors had to operate her to get rid of a hemorrhage in her head, after which she dropped into a coma. Ichigo and I stayed by her side, day and night, and during that time, I confessed everything to him. He didn't say anything for a while, and then told me that I shouldn't be begging his forgiveness."

A sigh escaped his lips "Of course he was right! I should've listened to her and given up after she said that she didn't want a family yet! I waited to tell her that, and in all my naïveté thought that we could still restart her life. But when she woke up, it turned out that every memory she had of me…of us…had vanished. Just like that."

Matsumoto listened, dumbstruck. She tried to be professional, to seek something that could guide him through, but she couldn't. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it felt, to be totally erased from the memories of a girl you love with all your heart. If it wasn't Toushiro, she wouldn't have believed it.

"They said it was a selective amnesia…a defense mechanism her brain used to save itself from madness. It could last days, or it could last forever. When he heard that, Ichigo told me that it was probably for her best interest that those memories should not be returned…thus I was expelled from her life. I wasn't angry though-I knew that I deserved it. I had used her for my own selfish reasons and I felt sick to the bone for it…I could say that I loved her and thought that this is what she wanted as well, but it's not an excuse. I shouldn't be looking for such things in the first place."

"Is that why you were so…angry back then?" Rangiku asked him

"Angry? Maybe that's a good word." He smiled "I was angry indeed, for a number of reasons. Because Ichigo still took time to warn me, even though it was obviously not needed, with his sister having established her life. Because Karin had suddenly changed her mind about childbirth and marriage. But mostly…at myself, because I thought that I was angry at all. I thought that I should be happy for her, glad that she had made a life, even…relieved…but I was not. I was sulking like a selfish child, only because she found happiness in the arms of another man…I thought that I should be there in his place, and I felt sick for it."

"You know…" Matsumoto said after a few minutes of silence "When he first left, I told myself that it was for the best. None of my relationships had turned into something serious, and I thought that I felt differently because he had been the one to approach me first. Being alone was only to be expected, and yet I felt empty. Then, I got angry too…I began thinking that it had been stupid to fall for a guy like him and that I should just forget about him. In the end, I blamed myself too…because I thought that I wasn't good enough."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Hitsugaya grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him "Rangiku, it's not true! No man that ever met you could say that you weren't good enough! Rather, he was an undeserving bastard who took off when things got too much for him to handle, and instead of facing the problems, ran off! You couldn't have done anything to change what he was."

"Yes. That's the same conclusion I came to." She smiled warmly "And that applies to you too, Toushiro. Nobody who ever met you would've doubted that you did the best you could. And you couldn't have changed Karin-san's mind unless she changed it first. You have to accept that."

"I already have." He smiled "I think…that the meeting with her brother back then…was the best thing that could've happened to me."

Mirroring his smile, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a soft kiss on the mouth. He took her in his arms and kissed her back. Neither of them held back this time.

_**In the heat of summer sunshine  
I miss you like nobody else  
In the heat of summer sunshine  
I kiss you, and nobody knows**_

**

* * *

**A/N-So what happened to reviews? Do tell me-what do you think of the whole dilemma. I saw it on Mark Levy's "Vous revoir", and I thought that it could work here...with changes, of course.


	15. Cars and letters

**

* * *

**

Cars and letters

At Nanao's request, Matsumoto took her car out and drove her to work on the following day. Her friend sounded so out of spirits that she didn't even complain for getting out of bed two hours before it was even time to leave. The sky was steel gray, although it wasn't raining, and the grave look on Nanao's face told Rangiku that something was wrong.

However, she refused to talk to her until they were safe in the office. There, the ebony-haired woman slumped on a chair and stared right ahead, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Holly cow, Nanao!" Matsumoto stared at her "What's wrong with you? You seemed like you were looking forward to some rest, and now you're…"

"That's because I didn't get any rest." Nanao growled and then rested her head back "I can't believe how infatuating this guy gets. Damn it!"

"What did he do this time? Move next door and took down the wall between your places?"

"He already lives on the same floor." Came the sour reply "Which means I can't go anywhere without him noticing, even when it's 2 hours in the morning."

"It's 8 hours in the morning and he didn't follow." Matsumoto pointed out

"Because he was too busy stalking me all night!" Nanao threw her hands in the air angrily "Just like the night before!"

"What? Have you been going out after our little soiree, Nan-chan?"

"No! I couldn't sleep, once again thanks to his stupid jokes, so I went to throw some hoops in the gym. Guess what-that guy followed me! He followed me and he actually kissed me!"

"What? He forced himself on you?" Matsumoto knew that sometimes Shunsui was a little too persistent, but he always gave up the chase once it was made clear that the lady wasn't interested. Since Nanao never showed signs of being not-interested, he always pursued.

"No. He just came in, and he just had to look so damn smug and sexy and…ok, so I lost it! I may be at fault, but he came to me and he didn't stop me…damn it, stop laughing, Rangiku! It's not funny!"

"Sure it isn't….but what did you do?" she asked "Don't tell me you hit him again?"

"No. I just…I was enjoying it, I really was…and then I couldn't bring myself to go on. So I ran." She shook her head "Last night, I went to play again, and I kept the door closed, and still I knew he was there. I played until I dropped on the floor, and then I ran through a window."

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I know he's trying to trick me, to get me so worked out that I can't find my way back and finally to turn me into another feather on his hat! I swear, Rangiku, if he wasn't such a good kisser, I'd have castrated him by now!"

"Honestly, Nanao." Matsumoto shook her head, all seriousness "You really shouldn't do things like that."

"Rangiku, just because he is the only one to beat you in a drinking contest doesn't mean that you have to defend him." Nanao was pacing now.

"I'm not defending him, that's the whole point!" Even though she was merry and cheery most of the time, Matsumoto wasn't unserious. "Right now, you're acting childish and silly, Nanao. Other than the fact that he has alcohol tolerance and has had a few trysts in the past, what do you have to accuse him of? Honestly, such childish behavior doesn't suit you at all! We both know that there were others before us, you can't hold that against the poor guy!"

"If it was that, I would've already been jumping into his arms, Rangiku. But there's something else. I received this on Sunday morning, and I think you should look at it." She held out a piece of paper, seemingly a letter, and rested back against the desk.

It read as follows:

_Dear Ise-san,_

_Firstly, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I'm certain that a busy woman like yourself should not have much free time on her hands, let alone donate it to strangers so easily. We've never been introduced, but I felt that given the nature of things, you will hardly be angry with me for having contacted you._

_You see, there is a matter of uttermost urgency pressing me, and I must discuss it with you as soon as possible. You may wonder what business I should have with you, but the answer is quite simple-it regards my fiancé, Kyoraku Shunsui, and his behavior towards you. I can't be sure how he's presented things to you, but I feel that I must straighten them out immediately, and have you acquit both of us of being unjust to you._

_That being said, I hope that I may trespass on your time at ten thirty tomorrow, so that we may discuss the issue._

_Yours truly,_

_Aoi Mitsuko_

Matsumoto skimmed through the letter a few times, checking out everything-from the handwriting to the quality of the paper, and then let the meaning of the words sink in.

"Do you know her?" She looked up at her friend's blank expression.

"No, but the family name is familiar enough. I looked it up yesterday-Aoi Mitsuko, daughter of Aoi Juuro. His company is one of the leaders in the machine-building branch, and their family is extremely rich."

"That doesn't mean that Shunsui ever proposed to her." Rangiku shook her head

"I know that well enough. A man with his reputation can't avoid women who can't take no for an answer."

"But you believe her?"

"I won't settle my opinion until I meet her, but can you honestly say that I shouldn't doubt anything?"

Matsumoto shook her head-everything, from the sender to the style it had been written, the letter seemed to have no other purpose than to insult and ridicule. However, the irony was well measured and carefully mixed with politeness. Even though a short note, it dragged around the subject before putting it down sketchily and blurrily. She got the feeling that this Mitsuko was itching to insult Nanao, but she would hold onto the good tone until things were clearer.

She was either very prudent, or very stupid. Stupid people didn't send an official warning that they would come…And prudent people usually had a good reason behind their actions.

"What do you plan on doing?"

"Even if I didn't want to meet her, it would be too late to stop her now. There was no return address, or a phone number, or anything that might help me postpone the meeting. So basically, I'm stuck seeing her today. It's the best option, though. Pointing fingers and throwing charges won't get me anywhere."

"And you're sure she wouldn't lie?"

"If she wanted to lie, she'd have written it, right?"

"Ah, right…"

* * *

The hours passed and the feeling of dread in Nanao grew. She focused on her work, but her eyes often drifted towards the clock. Unfortunately, whomever Aoi Mitsuko was, she always came on time. Exactly at 10 hours thirty, the secretary announced a visitor and a fashionable young woman was led into the office. She put her pen down carefully and closed the form she had just finished filling, before turning her attention to the visitor.

Nanao had seen pictures on the net, but as most artificial images, they hadn't done her justice. Her beauty was exotic, all blond hair and blue eyes. Her mother was supposed to be a foreigner, but by the looks of her jaw line and the disproportional large breasts, she guessed that the miracle of plastic surgery beat the one of genes.

Thanks to the many hours talking about love with Rangiku, Nanao wasn't wholly unfamiliar with the emotion that ran through her. Was she jealous? Or was it simply not possible for her mind to accept that a person so unnaturally beautiful should exist?

She listened to her formal introduction and then introduced herself. Then, as neither was willing to take the lead, Nanao decided to put an end to it as fast as she could:

"Aoi-san, I appreciate your call. You must've been really worried about your fiancé's actions."

"That is so, Ise-san." Mitsuko said "Shunsui is so…inattentive sometimes. He seems to think little of my nerves."

"Then I shall put you at ease immediately. Your fiancé has never acted inappropriately towards me." Which was true-she'd made the moves on him….in 99 % of the cases. "For as long as he's been working with us, his behavior in the company towards his female colleagues has been impeccable. As far as I know, he hasn't been cheating on you."

"Thank you." She wiped a non-existent speck of dust from her D&G dress, before giving Nanao a steel-grey look "However, I still think I should tell you what is my connection to him."

"He is your fiancé. That is all I need to know."

"On the contraire, Ise-san, that's only the first thing you need to know. Shunsui and I have known each other for quite a while. We've played together as kids, gone to the same high school, entered the same clubs, got accepted into the same University…We go a long way back, and as you can see, I'm not unintelligent. I've looked you up as soon as I found out that Shunsui's been following you around. You are quite a character, Ise-san."

"Oh, dear." Nanao acquired a mock-concerned expression "I do hope that his teasing hasn't been too obvious, Aoi-san."

"Not in the least. Compared to his other conquests, your courting is rather discreet. However, I have my ways of knowing. We've kept quiet about our engagement, not wishing to convoke any negative publicity, and anger our families. However, it stands, and I do not wish to have it broken, do you understand."

"Of course. However, if you may permit me, the impression I got from your fiancé is that he teases everything and everyone. Never with a bad intention, it is more of a sport to him."

"And yet you seem to take it very seriously, Ise-san. May I remind you that you are known to have kissed him after a certain party?"

Nanao's expression didn't change. However, on the inside, she was burning. That girl's discreet arrogance was making her edgy and uneasy. She wanted to slap her very badly, but restrained herself. It was lowly even to pay attention to her words. "A kiss, Aoi-san? You must know better than anyone that this is a man's way to say 'Goodnight' nowadays."

"Let me make this clear!" she slammed her hand on the table and got up. From her position Nanao got a wonderful look at her twisted features and mentally nodded-definitely traces of lifting. "Kyoraku Shunsui is my fiancé! We've known each other for far too long and this engagement can't be broken by anyone! Especially by you! A woman with no family, no money and no manners! If you put a finger on him again, I will make sure that this little company of yours drowns to the bottom! Did I make myself clear?!"

"I believe that your point was clear from the beginning. Though I would suggest that you stop reading so many Jane Austen novels."

"How dare you!?!"

"That question goes for you as well." Nanao answered, elevating her voice with little effort over hers "I have already told you that I have no claims of your fiancé. If the situation was different, I'd have no reason to hide it from you. And yet you make ridiculous assumptions, insult me and pose threats. If I were you, I'd stop this rant right now and go marry him before one of those little tramps that hang around him steals him from you. As you can see, I can hardly compare to you, or any of them."

Mitsuko sputtered and stepped back. A second later the door slammed shut behind her.

* * *

"Gods, what was this all about?" Hitsugaya asked when he heard the screaming coming from Nanao's office "Is Ise-san ill?"

"No, she's taking her anger out on the boxing sack I gave her last Christmas." Matsumoto answered. The two were going out to lunch and Hitsugaya had nearly missed the angry Mitsuko storming out of the building. Usually Matsumoto would've been all over it, but the walls were thin and there was hardly a living soul in the office that didn't know what happened. Nanao seemed more pissed off that they'd learned about the blasted kiss than about Shunsui's cute fiancée. "She'll cool off by the time we come back, don't worry."

"I don't see Kyoraku anywhere."

"Yeah, well, he's had a long night." Rangiku smiled when the reached the garage. "We're taking my car this time."

"What?" he gaped when they reached the vehicle "You have got to be joking! What kind of car is this?"

She pouted "Don't talk like that about my baby, Toushiro. She gets offended easily."

"Your baby? And who's the father? Or fathers? How many cars have been used here?"

"Er…the original was a convertible….but yeah, most of the parts came from other cars. But that was cool, right? Every spare penny for three years during college went for this beauty!" Matsumoto grinned brightly

"Not complaining but…Couldn't you have given it a paint job first? A little work before you put the puzzle together? Good Lord, there are claw marks on the hood!" he exclaimed

"Yeah, that came from a truck attacked by a mountain bear." She shrugged "I thought that if it withstood that, it would be perfect. Besides, I didn't put it together, I paid a mechanic. I'm no good with electronics, you know. So…wanna hop on?"

"Absolutely not." He shook his head.

"Oh, don't be a snob." She pouted "It'll be fun!"

"Fun? Rangiku, have you checked those tires? They're so worn they'll burst if a pebble hits them."

"Ah, yeah…" she scratched the back of her head "I haven't taken her out for a while, but since Nanao asked today and I had no time…"

"Forget it." He brought out his cell and dialed a phone number "Do you mind if we take lunch on our way? I don't think that…Ah, hi Hisagi. Yeah, it's me. Say, do you have some time, I'll bring you a special customer….Regular check up, repairs where they're required and a full set of new tires….Yes, it's on me….Yeah, I'll be right there." He turned towards her "Give me the keys."

"What are you doing?" she asked, but still handed them over "Toushiro?"

"It'll take some getting used to." He murmured, before flashing her a smile "However, your baby is part of the family. What kind of daddy would I be if I didn't take her to a good doctor? Hop in."

She laughed through the entire way.

* * *


	16. Calculus

**

* * *

**

Calculus

Ukitake never thought that babysitting could be so fulfilling. Well, babysitting wasn't the right word. Nemu-san wasn't a child anymore, and she was fully capable of taking care of herself. They found a common language almost immediately-she brought her laptop and used the wi-fi connection to write letters to Nanao and Rangiku under his dictation. He got more work they sent him, and that way, he enjoyed his rest more. It was like playing secretary.

She was intelligent indeed, but sometimes, he got the feeling that she was still a child in many ways. She knew calculus and trigonometry, but she couldn't enjoy the soft colors of the flowers. She loved chemistry, but she didn't know why people bother to cook, since the food ended up in the same place anyways. And, even though she was an expert in physics, she couldn't truly enjoy music.

"It is simple." Nemu told him one day. Because he had had an attack in the morning, she'd come by to read to him, and they were discussing the chapter they'd just gone through. "Music is a simple combination of physics and mathematics. The instruments work on the principles of sound waves, and are enhanced by many factors-the material they are made of, the type of coating, the placement of the strings and the way they are wired, and the composition of the music itself is based on a mathematical algorithm that varies."

"Well…now that you say it, it is very simple…" Ukitake said

"It is, isn't it? My father had a theory that if you give a mathematical genius a violin and explain the construction, he will immediately start composing. However, he did not want to waste time on an experiment he was sure it would work."

"But Nemu-san, it wouldn't have worked. One must also have a sense of rhythm, of tact…it may come down to mathematics, but you can't be a great musician if you don't have the feeling for music!"

"Are you a great musician, Ukitake-san?" If it had been anyone but Nemu, he'd have thought he was being mocked. But she was so childishly stubborn! She couldn't comprehend the nature of irony and sarcasm.

"I am not, but if your father's theory is true, why are there not so many great musicians in this world? Why is it so hard to learn when everything comes down to learning the formula?"

She thought about it for a while, and then said: "Because, Ukitake-san, people in general are too lazy to begin learning, and they do not like mathematics. Also, this sort of profession does not offer much prospect and payment, and your chances of success are getting slimmer with the number of competitors growing. And even if the music business offered a good income, it does not provide many chances of prospect, and climbing a career ladder, which does not satisfy mankind's natural urge to perfection itself and reach higher peeks."

Ukitake blinked dumbly: "Well…even if you put it that way…it's not like it isn't true but…Surely, there has got to be something more to music than this, Nemu-san. It is a beautiful thing, a thrilling thing. It fills the mind and feeds the soul!"

"Indeed, at first it started off as a way to spend time and celebrate." Nemu nodded "However, mathematics was also created for a reason, to note things, and there are people who do it with passion. To say that something is deprived of meaning is like saying it's deprived of existence. Everything started off as something useful to people."

"But music is useful. And she is also essential! It's a way of being a better person, Nemu-san. When you manage to distract yourself and look at music as a whole thing, not a combination of formulas and waves, you feel pleased, do you not?"

"I do." She nodded "But it is very hard."

"Music isn't meant to be broken into small pieces and analyzed. It's meant to be heard, to be enjoyed, as a whole. You should try that more often."

She nodded. And for the next few days, she brought him all sorts of CD's, so that he could help her hear what he wanted her to hear.

It was a strange, and surprisingly addictive experience.

* * *

Shunsui knew something was wrong as soon as he peeked in Nanao's office and she refused to acknowledge his presence. Aside from the lack of a few items, for she had sent her punching bag for stitching, there wasn't much indicating something had happened, and yet she didn't look up, didn't greet him, didn't even blush when he tried to bring up the subject of that kiss…she only told him to close the door because it made a draft.

He was rather taken aback-she wasn't giving him a silent treatment, she was throwing an ice storm at him! And he was pretty sure he didn't deserve one!

Ok, maybe he had tried seducing her, Shunsui pondered as he went to his office, but that had been done with the best intentions! He just wanted to animate her, to bring some color to her cheeks…and she'd been the one to kiss him first…both times.

But somewhere along the way, he'd learned that he was wrong. What he'd mistaken for coldness and lifelessness was actually her way of being cheerful and happy, and even though she didn't express herself as exuberantly as Matsumoto-kun, she had a sweet way of showing what she wanted.

Like kissing…Damn it, why did he have to go back to the kissing?

The truth was that he had grown to respect her. She took care of everyone in the company, carried the weight of the engagements on her shoulders without complaint and filled in for her friends whenever she had to (and lately, that had been very often). Ise Nanao wasn't a person that gushed out on her feelings, out of fear of worrying the people around her, but she had a sensitive side. She just protected it more vigorously, and for some reason, he wanted to protect her as well.

Was that why it hurt so much?

He went on with his meditations until, on his way home, he heard the voices:

"She hasn't left her office all day." It sounded like Nanao's secretary, Arisawa Tatsuki "Do you think I should get her out."

"I don't know. Boss said not to bother her, we should just let her take her time." And that was Kotetsu Kiyone. Both girls struck him as energetic and hard-working, but never as gossipers. What has Nanao done today to make everyone so edgy?

"I'm worried. She nearly threw a tantrum fit when that woman went out. Her boxing sack came undone." There was a sigh "God, that woman must've done something horrible! I can't beat the stuffing out of a sandbag on a good day, and she did it in less than twenty minutes."

"I heard that she was AOI MITSUKO!" Shunsui felt his heart come to a halt as he heard the name. Dreading what was to come next, he listened more carefully.

"Yeah, she was. For a noblewoman…" Tatsuki snorted "She sure has one hell of a potty mouth."

"Really? I didn't know anyone was there until I heard the last part of the conversation."

"Yeah, they were both very polite, but Nanao-san soldiered through until the end. Thank god she didn't lose it to that…pompous bitch, otherwise she wouldn't have forgiven herself."

"Yeah, she's got ice cubes running in her veins. But is it true?" Kiyone's voice dropped to a whisper "Is it true that Nanao-san kissed Kyoraku-san first?"

"How am I supposed to know? Aoi-san said she did, but how do you suppose she knows something like that? I bet she just said it to push her off balance."

Shunsui's mind raced. Mitsuko…she'd been here…She's been talking to Nanao…He raced for the stairs.

* * *

_Why does it hurt so much?_ Nanao wondered as she automatically filled out another form and finished her stack for the day. Anger did wonders to piles of work-they vanished without you noticing them. She stretched and worked out the kinks in her neck, then got on her feet with the intention of pouring herself a cup of coffee.

The ache in her toes reminded her that she hadn't gotten up from her desk for hours. Mm….she could definitely use a couple of dunks right about now…but she'd already seen Kyoraku today, and he was bound to try and get to the bottom of this. Looking down suspiciously at her cup as if expecting him to jump out of it, Nanao sighed. That damn man…

It wasn't like she hadn't seen it coming-a man with Kyoraku's womanizing habits was bound to have his past come back to him. She already knew that he changed girlfriends more often than he changed his socks, and if they started dating, she would've expected at least a dozen of his exes to step by and tell her that he loves only them. But finding that he'd been cheating on a fiancée all these years…it was a low blow.

WHY? That infatuating question came back to her every single time. She'd told her that they were engaged in private, worried about the negative media attention…but what was that to them? Why hadn't he married her when they graduated from University? Why had he decided to chase after women instead of fulfilling his promise? Why hadn't he told HER that he was engaged, other than accepting her kisses and…Hold on a second, had she just contemplated the possibility of dating him?

Nanao shook her head. Why was that man angering her so much? Why was she so hurt because he had a fiancée? Because of the fiancée herself, or because she had the nerve to come to her office and make threats, perhaps…Or because he hadn't told her in the first place, taking advantage of her weakness…

_Maybe I'm angry at myself, _Nanao thought_, because I can't take care of the people who trust me…_

But how could she lose control just once, and put everything in danger? The Aoi family had enough money to buy the entire west coast of Africa-they could ruin her company with the whip of a fan. Why hadn't she been more careful? Why had she drunk anything that night? Why hadn't she taken the time to research him before she even talked to him?

Research him? Now wasn't THAT a joke. If they kept their engagement to themselves, they would never have let someone discover it with a simple search on the net.

Besides, that man was like a tornado-he'd sweep her off her feet without the slightest difficulty, whether she liked it or not. She laughed darkly-hadn't he done so already? She was cold, but not indifferent. She didn't need a Disney orchestra to spell it out for her. Her irritation had taken a terribly familiar look.

* * *

Deciding to call it a day, Nanao packed her things and left the building. It was only when she reached the stairs that she realize her car was at home. Rangiku had left early with Hitsugaya, and she'd mentioned something about her baby going to the doctor's…

Groaning, the ebony-haired woman took a turn and headed for the nearest bus stop. She'd have to buy a ticket…and then put up with all the weirdos that hung around there….

No sooner had she crossed the threshold of the company when she heard a powerful engine roar and a second later a black Ferrari pulled over in front of her. She didn't have to look twice to know the person sitting behind the steering wheel.

"Nanao-chan!" Shunsu, a blur of pink and black, shot out of the car and came up to meet her. She overturned him and started waling towards the stop, without paying him the slightest attention. Unfortunately, she was wearing high heels, and she couldn't match his long strides even on a good day. "Ran-san called, she said you didn't have a car and asked me to pick you up…"

"No thanks, the bus suits me just fine." She shot out, and she was surprised at the vehemence in her voice. Why did she sound so bitter all of the sudden?

"Come on, Nanao! We live in the same building, it's not like it's a big trouble for me."

"No, but it's better for the both of us." Suddenly, his arm grasped her elbow and held her tightly.

"Nanao-chan, please…I want to talk to you!"

"I'd like to talk to you as well…" she whirled around and looked up at him angrily "But it appears that if I utter a word to you while we're on a tête-à-tête, I might not find my company standing tomorrow…or my home."

"Nanao, please, just get in the car! I'll tell you everything on the way." His eyes flared "Nanao, I swear, I have an explanation. And my family is far more powerful than Mitsuko's-as long as I'm a partner at your firm, she can't do anything to you. Please get in the car."

Nanao contemplated her possibilities-it was either a long bus ride, filled with gawking and awkward moments, or a short ride in the car, filled with even more gawking and awkwardness. She gave up and got in the car-she might as well learn everything now that she's so deep in it.

They drove in silence, until he spoke up hesitantly:

"Nanao-chan…I have to…How are you feeling?"

"How do you think I'm feeling?" It took every last part of self-respect she had not to sound tart "I've never been so humiliated in my entire life. I've never been so ashamed of myself either."

"I…I know how Mitsuko is when she gets into a possessive mood…I know she can say some very nasty things, without really meaning them." He said "I can't even begin to imagine what you must be thinking right now…but…"

"Tell me, does Aoi-san always meet up with the girls you tease? Just to see the competition, and sometimes pose threats?" once she got on tune, Nanao was unstoppable "Do you realize that there is more at stake here than just my feelings? If she wants to, she can destroy my business, and all the people who work with me on the way. It wouldn't matter that he fiancé is helping out, she'd find a way."

"Nanao-chan…"

"And I know that I'm at fault here, seeing that I was the one to make the first step…" she knew she'd have to swallow her pride at that point "…But for crying out loud, she's your fiancée! And I'm very far from your ideal type! Why couldn't you restrain yourself this one time and stopped us from getting into such a mess?!"

"Nanao-chan, it's not like that…" he opened his mouth, but she cut him off as they pulled over in front of their apartment complex

"I'm plain and lifeless and uninteresting, and yet your ego couldn't handle letting me go! As if leaving one woman's heart unbroken was too much for you!"

"Na…"

"Please tell me, would it have actually killed you to leave me alone!" she burst out, and when he couldn't process and answer, got out of the car and ran into the dark building. Nanao heard him call after her, but didn't stop to turn around. The darkness swirled around her, mercifully allowing her to hide herself before she burst into tears.

* * *


	17. Visits

**Visits**

"Thanks for picking me up, Nan~chan!" Rangiku sang as she sat herself in her friend's car. "I know it's a bit early, but I couldn't bring myself to wake him up."

"By him, you mean Hitsugaya-kun, I hope." Her friend answered crossly, running her fingers through her hair. Last night, she had had to put up with Shunsui's checking ups every twenty minutes, and thanks to Aoi Mitsuko's monologue, she hadn't gotten much sleep. And as if that hadn't been bad enough, when she HAD dosed off, Rangiku had had to call her and invite her to breakfast!

Mercifully, she had chosen for them to go to a café instead of turning Hitsugaya's kitchen into the third circle of Hell.

"You should've seen him, Nan-chan…" Rangiku crooned as they finally settled on their table, accompanied by cups of steaming coffee, blueberry muffins and cookies the size of a CD. "He's naturally cute, but when he's sleeping, he's absolutely ADORABLE!"

"Can you please take up a subject that wouldn't remind me that my personal life is in the gutter?" Nanao asked venomously.

"Honestly, what is wrong with you? You're so…snappy." Rangiku eyed her "You haven't had a good night?"

"Of course I haven't! And it's partly your fault, for picking THIS day of all days to take YOUR car out!" she responded.

"What? How could've I known that as soon as he saw my baby, he'd want to take it to the doctor!"

"Anyone who saw that car would've wanted a mechanic to look at it. The only reason I let you drive me was because I know you're competent enough to handle that thing."

"Nanao, did he pick you up?" Matsumoto asked, in all seriousness

"Yes." She answered

"And…did you talk to him?"

"He tried to talk to me. I thought I could take it. I was wrong." Nanao surmised it all in three brief sentences, and even that made her sick. "Rangiku, I couldn't take it…"

"Oh, Nan-chan…" she sighed, moving closer and hugging her friend "Why?"

"I just…he asked me how I felt. And I decided to tell him exactly what I thought, what he had done to me…I wanted him to realize how angry I was…and as soon as the words left my mouth I wasn't angry anymore, I was…incredibly sad. Why am I feeling like this?"

"Nanao, you're in love. There's nothing wrong with that!"

"Yes, there is! Everything's wrong with that!" The ebony-haired woman lowered her voice, lest she attracted too much attention. Then she sighed "What am I supposed to do? She warned me that she'll destroy my life if I did what I am doing now."

"And what are you doing?"

"Falling for him." The sigh that left her was bitter "Why am I such an idiot, Rangiku?"

"Saying that you're an idiot would automatically make ME one, don't you think?"

"It's different. He doesn't put you between an anvil and a hammer, Rangiku."

"Nanao, why are you so angry all of the sudden." No answer came. They finished breakfast and left the café in total silence. It wasn't until they were in the speeding car that Nanao spoke up.

"Rangiku, do you realize where this is going?"

"If it's going where it should be going, there's no problem. But if it's going where I think it's going, then you have a serious problem." Matsumoto scolded her friend. "I can't believe you, Nanao. Here you have a perfect opportunity and you're letting it go to waste."

"An opportunity?" her friend asked in disbelief, and then she had to take a sharp turn, least she knock over an old lady "You call this an opportunity? Rangiku, I'm on the verge of a heart attack here!"

"For all I know, you're just acting stupid!" came the chiding reply. "The Kyoraku family is much more powerful than the Aoi. His mere presence as a partner in the firm saves us from any attacks, and if you just stopped acting so stubborn, you two will be happy together forever."

"Rangiku…"

"Do you love him, Nan-chan?" Matsumoto asked briskly

Her friend hesitated a little, before replying meekly:

"I do."

"And does he love you?"

"He says he does."

"Believe in him, Nan-chan. He's a good man. I wouldn't be telling you this if I wasn't sure he was."

"He may love me now. And what about tomorrow? What will happen when he finds somebody who's more exotic, more fun, more…interesting?"

"Nanao, you're thinking too much. That Aoi woman wouldn't have come threatening you like that if she wasn't sure you were a threat to her. Do you think she visits all of his girlfriends to scare them off? You're a beautiful, successful woman, and you're intelligent enough to know that she's jealous of you. If she knows him as well as she claims, she must also know he loves you, period. That's why she sees you as a threat, and came to freak you out. Running away from things is not only going to make them worse, you'll be regretting it all your life."

She stopped abruptly next to the sidewalk, turning on the emergency lights and resting her head on the steering wheel. "But what should I do? It feels like I'm selling my soul here! I'd destroy the company if I'm not with him, the company we worked so hard to build…We wanted independence, and this is what we got! Is this what we really deserve?"

"Nanao, you love him…Isn't it natural for you to want to be with him?"

"It is. I just…" she sighed as she brought the engine back to life "I just wish it didn't happen like this. As it is…I can't think about him without associating him with negative thoughts."

* * *

The two sat down in Matsumoto's office with the day's work. Nanao arranged a desk for herself on the coffee table and began filling forms as Rangiku checked the mail and explained the little particularities of her part of the area.

"You'll just have to get used to Kiyone's radio." She said when the music resonated right in front of the door "It's a little loud, but she's a good girl."

Nanao could only nod silently. Because she was a martial artist, Aizawa Tatsuki, her own secretary, was a reliant and organized girl. She never understood why Rangiku kept Kiyone around, but the strawberry-blond woman's instinct had brought them where her cold intellect couldn't. And then, she looked up and saw him.

"Rangiku, have we been recently informed that somebody's building something here?" she asked

"No." the blond said, looking out the window "You think that handsome architect is planning on taking down the building or you have a different feeling."

"A different feeling. He's looking up straight towards this floor."

"Oh, dear, that's what I thought too." Matsumoto said as she picked up the phone and called a number on speed-dial.

_"Police Department, how can I help you?"_ A groggy male voice answered her after the third signal

"Starting off early, Iba-san? I see you're still short on staff." Matsumoto sang cheerfully

_"Oh, no…"_ the man practically wailed _"No, Matsumoto-san, it's too early! Stalkers just CAN'T be after you at this time!"_

"It's nearly ten o'clock, Iba-san." She reminded him "It's not my fault you and Ikkaku-san stayed up late last night. Can you get Captain Komamura on the line?"

_"Please, please, Matsumoto-san, just give me five minutes to LOOK sober. He'll kill me!"_

"Neither rain, nor snow, nor the Mother of all Hangovers keeps the stalkers from coming and this one is smart enough to dress up as an architect."

_"How can you be sure he's not a real architect then?"_ Iba whimpered miserably

"There's nowhere for him to build anything here, Iba-san. Now be a dear and let me talk to Captain Komamura, please."

* * *

"Who would've thought…" Nanao mused as she watched the people leave the scene

"Yeah, Sajin-san was rather pissed to find his lieutenant with a hangover again, but…"

"No, I meant the P.I. I'd never believe they'd go this far." Nanao said indignantly, as if she found something bad in the profession of a private investigator.

"He didn't tell Sajin-san that he was following you, Nan-chan."

"No, he just told him that he was hired to look after somebody in this building. Client confidence." She snorted "I bet that Aoi woman can't wait to get some dirt on me."

"Nan-chan, he could've been hired to follow Shunsui-san just as easily. Or a person from the other companies. Or me. Or he's a private detective that is a stalker in his free time. Or a panty chaser. Or a pervert. Or a government agent that investigates strange disappearances of beautiful secretaries from the other companies. Or he's all that…and a closet pervert that is actually working for the abductors and fools the police by making them believe he's on our side. Or maybe…HE'S AN ALIEN!"

"OR…" Nanao intervented before Rangiku's fantasies became too bizarre "He was hired to follow me. Think about it-he was looking at our story, and we both know there haven't been strange threats towards anyone else."

"Whatever, Nan-chan. I still think that you're making a big deal of this."

"We'll see…" the young woman sighed as Kiyone announced a visitor and Hitsugaya peered in.

"I hope I'm not interrupting something, Ise-san." He said calmly, barely keeping the small smile on his face from turning into a full blown grin. Well, at least somebody got a good night's rest despite being busy, Nanao thought as she got on her feet.

"Not at all. I was just going to get some coffee, would you like anything?" she asked

"No. No thank you." He wasn't looking at her anymore, but at Rangiku. Nanao hadn't been away ten steps from the door before she heard a small thud and a cheeky giggle.

"Honestly, those two…" she sighed as she walked over to the small bar on the other side of the floor and started fixing up some refreshments. Nanao looked up from time to time, as if waiting for someone to pop out and tell her…tell her SOMETHING. Damn it, this insecurity was driving her insane! There had been a time when she had been so sure of herself, that the world was at her feet, that she had figured everything out…

"Ise Nanao-san?"

"Eh? Oh, yes, that would be me." Nanao looked up, slightly ashamed to be caught daydreaming like that.

"Ah, I'm glad, I thought I mistook somebody for you again. This place is a beehive, my dear, you should expand."

Nanao nodded while slowly evaluating the person in front of her. She was a complete stranger, a middle-aged woman with rich chocolate-brown hair. Although she seemed harmless enough, Nanao had long ago learned to be wary of women calling her "my dear", and she was dressed in clothes so expensive they probably cost more than her month's rent. She could only guess why she was here.

"I hope I'm not too rude, madam…" She began politely "But if you are here on behalf of Aoi Mitsuko-san, please tell her that she needn't have hired a private investigator to know things are in check."

To her surprise, the woman just laughed.

"My, my, so you have found him out. I really overestimated him. But no, my dear, I'm not here on behalf of Mitsu-chan, but you've probably guessed that it has something to do with her, right?"

Silently, Nanao offered her a seat behind the counter and asked her if she wanted anything.

"Do you have orange juice, dear? That would be lovely." She nodded and quickly started pulling glasses out "Well, first things first, I suppose. I should've introduced myself from the beginning though…I am Kyoraku Senna, Shunsui's mother."

The glass slipped Nanao's fingers, but she was quick enough to catch it before it hit the floor. At the same time, the young woman managed to compose herself and look up at Kyoraku Senna calmly. "It is not likely for a woman in your position to be forgetting the introduction, Kyoraku-san. I certainly hope you don't take me for one of those obnoxious waiters that needs to be taught a lesson."

"Of course not!" the woman laughed cheerfully "I just wanted to see the look on your face. Oh, my stupid son tells me everything, but he always forgets to give it proper credit. You're more than I ever imagined you would be."

"A woman with no family, no manners and no money?"

"No. An intelligent woman with a strong character. Mitsu-chan has a little of both, I suppose, but it's not enough, and you can tell that this can't be compensated by collagen."

"I suppose so." Nanao nodded as she poured the juice and handed it to her. "So, if you're not here to back her up, why did you visit me, Kyoraku-san?"

"Senna, dear." Shunsui's mother smiled as she took a sip from the juice "_Wonderful_…I just came here to take a look at the woman my son has fallen in love with."

"I wish everyone stopped saying such things….Senna-san." The young woman said, not without annoyance "With all due respect, your son's reputation with women is general knowledge."

"Yes, yes. I know it's natural for you to be doubtful. Only God knows how many different girls have I seen with him on magazine covers and tabloids…" Kyoraku Senna shook her head "It's very vexing, the whole world knows about his personal affairs when his own mother doesn't even get to meet the girls he's with. But he tells me when somebody special comes up, and he's been telling me a lot about you, Nanao-san."

"Really?" she sighed warily "Then perhaps you could tell him to leave me alone for the sake of everybody."

"Oh, I can't do that!" Shunsui's mother exclaimed "I like you too much to let you lose to that dumb woman. Whenever he's dared tell me about a girl that made him feel…different, Mitsuko found her and scared her away. I actually came here yesterday when he told me about your second kiss, and I was worried that she beat me to you."

"So you…heard?"

"Every word of the conversation, and I am simply DELIGHTED with you! Such finesse, such elegance, and yet you managed to make her shut up and then chewed her into bloody little bits. I was so happy I couldn't come in and talk to you back then, but today I came to do my duty!"

"Senna-san…" Nanao sighed "I appreciate your concern, but I really can't do much at this point. The threat stands, and too many people rely on their jobs here for me to go recklessly against her."

"And if you do ask Shunsui for help, you'd be breaking your own rules, am I right?" she shook her head "Nanao, I understand your dilemma, but there is a little more to that then you think."

"Such as?"

"Shunsui's the second son-let loose and spoiled because he had no responsibilities. Thankfully, his brother is smart enough to run the family business and has enough sons to inherit, but still, the family MUST have them all married. His marriage with Mitsuko is the back-up plan, lest he shouldn't marry until he's thirty five years old. As you can see, there's still time, but with you, she's afraid that she'll lose him indefinitely."

"That's all well and good, but where do I come in? Should I marry him because he…talks about me?"

"No, my dear, but you can take this for a reassurance that his feelings are honest."

"I'm afraid that no matter how honest our feelings are, we can't do much while she's breathing in our necks."

"And this is where I come in." Kyoraku Senna grinned, before leaning in to whisper something in her ear.

* * *

Rangiku and Toushiro rose breathlessly and straightened themselves up. Looking around, Matsumoto couldn't help but giggle. It had been a…memorable break from work, but other than rosy cheeks and disheveled hair, there wasn't much that betrayed what happened just now. He turned around to see what had made her so merry, but ended up kissing her just to feel the softness of her lips.

"Well…" she smiled as they finally pulled away "I guess we gave our neighborhood stalker something to remember us by…if he's still there."

"Stalker?" his mind still hazy from their previous activity, Hitsugaya could only blink "What stalker?"

"The one that turned out to be a P.I. Or an alien…Oh, I forgot. We think he was after Nanao, but we can't be sure because the police couldn't question him."

"Really?" his eyes narrowed, as if he was debating whether she was telling the truth or just played him "So it's normal to get stalkers around here?"

"Yeah." She said calmly.

"Rangiku, are you serious?"

"Huh? Of course I am! Would I be telling you this if I wasn't?"

"But…it's a stalker. He's dangerous!"

"I know." She smiled "I don't see what the big deal is all about."

"How can you be so calm!" he exclaimed, this time with concern. "You may be one hell of a businesswoman, but can you really handle a stalker?"

"Oh, don't worry. With your pictures on tabloids and magazines all the time, it's normal to attract some strange guys! I already got over the freaking out part. I just delete the emails, lose the letters, check things up and call a lawyer. I also have pepper spray in my purse, and the police station on speed dial. Most of them just go away after a swift kick in the sack though…" she mused

"Most of them?" he enquired miserably "So there are a lot of them?"

"Well, yeah. I actually go visit the boys in the police station now and again, have lunch, bring them coffee and doughnuts…you know, I have to thank them. Today, the guy turned out to be a P.I. assigned to follow Nanao, but he's not dangerous-those guys are too easy to find once recognized."

"Damn it…" he whispered, seating himself on her desk "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Tell you what? That I get stalked regularly?" Rangiku blinked "How's that relevant?"

"How's that relevant? Rangiku, it means you're in constant danger! How could've you let me sleep at night, keeping such a thing for yourself! What if somebody broke in the apartment, or sent something on the mail, or made threats?"

"I know how to deal with that." She explained "Besides, what good would it do if I had you worrying all the time."

"Rangiku…" Hitsugaya groaned as drew her in his arms and rested his head on her shoulder. "For Christ's sake, I know that I have to put up with a lot more than I'm used to with you, but…can't you at least tell me when something important happens to you? I don't care whether it's good or bad or just…normal…I want to be a part of your life. It's not because I want to act like a mother hen, it's because in the past, I've failed mostly because of a lack of openness…."

She silenced him by turning around in his arms and brushing her lips against his:

"I know what you mean…" she mumbled "But I'm not Karin. I've been around long enough to learn that it takes two people to tango. And if something important comes up, I will tell you. But I won't have you take on all the burden, just like I won't. Ok?"

"Alright." He sighed "But on one condition."

"Hmm?"

"You take me to that police station so that I can make sure those guys are competent enough to look after you."

"My knight in shining armor…" she whispered as she approached him for a real kiss. "Is so…so…a-do-ra-ble!"

And as he sealed his lips on hers, she could swear she heard a rumble of laughter deep in his throat.

* * *


	18. Allegro

**

* * *

**

Allegro

To say that Shunsui was feeling uneasy was the understatement of the year. If Nanao hadn't taken all his wits away with their first meeting, he'd have lost them completely when she ran away from him the other night. In the back of his mind, he could understand her reasons and knew she had every right in the world to be angry with him. But he was also a man in love, and as people well know, men in love usually don't process things very clearly.

It wasn't like he hadn't been in this situation before. Despite his nearly thirty years of age, Kyoraku Shunsui had traveled, seen the world and gotten to know all sorts of women. The prospect of marrying Aoi Mitsuko when he hit thirty-four was both a comfort and a fright for him. At first he couldn't comprehend what would anyone want that Mitsuko didn't have-she had a perfect body, she was from a rich and noble family, she was exciting…

But he'd been around long enough to know better, and, Thank God, he hadn't rushed into anything stupid. Mitsuko was fun and pretty, but she had nothing more substantial to her than the fact that she knew Pride and Prejudice by heart. They had no common interest, they couldn't lead an intelligent conversation, and, at least around him, she acted like a mirror-she was what he wanted her to be, a doll without a face and opinion of her own.

Of course, those faults would've been forgiven if it wasn't for that she turned into a demon from hell when she thought someone would steal him away from her. Before Nanao, he had fallen in love with a girl he met in Monte Carlo-Mitsuko threatened that she would destroy her father's company and she had been chased (or sent by her consent) to Norway.

Then, after many pointless trysts and rivers of sake, he'd fallen for a nurse at the centre for alcoholics at Nancy, where he had been sent because he nearly set a bar on fire. There, his dear fiancée had to use more creativity because the girl was self-dependent and wasn't connected to the Aoi family even remotely, but in the end succeeded. She sent threats, and a week later one of her patients got his hands on so much booze he had gone into a violent fit of rage just as she was doing her round. His sweetheart wasn't killed, but the six months of hospitalization and rehab had drained her of her will completely and she decided that it was better for both to stay away from each other.

Both times had left Shunsui devastated, but he'd never felt so strongly drawn to somebody than to Nanao. She was kind-hearted and naïve, but had a strong character and was much, much smarter than anyone he had seen. If Mitsuko managed to chase HER away, he was sure that he wouldn't be able to pull himself together again. He had to talk to her, but at first he'd been so mortified he couldn't even process what to do, and then, when he had been able to get out of the car and run after her, she'd already locked herself up in her apartment, and he knew better than to bang on the door and call for her. Even he found this undignified, and Nanao would much rather call the police than listen him out.

"This is all my fault." He told himself as he drove towards work. He'd slept through most of the morning, wondering what to do, and figured out that the only possible way was to wait until she was willing to hear him out and then tell her that he was an idiot that toyed with her feelings, that he was a womanizing fiend, that he didn't deserve the dirt under her shoes and that if she would have him, he'd love her, and protect her, and spoil her rotten.

Shunsui was still putting his speech together when the elevator opened to their floor and the sound of people arguing ran him over like a tidal wave:

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT! TELL HER SHE CAN'T DO THAT!" someone, probably Matsumoto, was shouting.

"You can't do that." A voice resembling that of Hitsugaya obliged

"You both know I can and I will. Don't try to stop me."

"THERE ARE LAWS AGAINST THAT! TELL HER!"

"I'm telling you."

"You're not helping, Toushiro."

"It's not his fault. He knows I can do this and I will do this."

"BUT THINK OF MY LIFE WHEN YOU ARE GONE! I WILL BE DEVASTATED! ALL HAPPINESS WILL BE TORN AWAY FROM ME! ALL JOY WILL DISAPPEAR! I WIL DROWN IN PAPERWORK, NANAO,** PAPERWORK!**

"It's about time you did your share."

"But Nan-chaaaaan!" Rangiku whined "Please reconsider! You can't leave the company now, Jushiro-kun counts on you!"

"You were the one who told me to give that man a chance, I did. Since he's here to help, he'll help. My duties aren't as hard to fill out as Ukitake-san's and we both know it!"

"But Nanao, you have the way to persuade the people."

"You can too!"

"If I showed off my cleavage it'll only make Toushiro mad, Nanao! You are the brains here!"

"Just drop the subject, Rangiku, you will now sway me. The arrangements have already been made!"

"You're so cruel!"

"Stop acting like a baby! You can do it! Tell her she can do it!"

"You can do it."

"See. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Nan-chan, NOOOO!"

All the blood left Shunsui's head as he heard those last lines and ran past the corner towards Nanao's office. Although he was pretty sure she was mentally stable, she was just about the kind of person to say suicide lines like those and Rangiku's wailing was as in character as everything else. With equal shares of surprise and relief, he froze on the door to the room, where Nanao was trying to yank her leg away from Matsumoto's steel grip and Hitsugaya was watching them with acute amusement written on his face.

It took just about one second for him to process what was going on, and another for Nanao finally to escape her friend and walk past him. "Excuse me, I don't have the time for this."

"Wha…" Shunsui stared behind her "Nanao, what are you…"

"She's leaving! She's leaving us!" Rangiku whined. Actually, it was a miracle anyone understood what she was saying, since she was sobbing hysterically into Hitsugaya's shirt, but the young man's cool expression did something to console Shunsui. If Nanao was doing something really horrible, he wouldn't have been so calm about it.

"What is it? What is Nanao doing?" he asked, knowing well enough that the lady herself would just ignore him if he approached her.

"Nanao-san is going to Spain to research the local market and evaluate the possible risks of your establishing a branch in Barcelona." He replied calmly "Matsumoto's not taking it so well."

"What will I do without her!" She whimpered "I'm doomed."

"Well, it can't be that bad." Shunsui said, relieved "You can sent her the difficult stuff and she'll get the chance to catch a little tan." The Aoi family also didn't have apexes in Spain, which was a definite bonus-Nanao could take a time out and re-evaluate things. He may even settle things with Mitsuko by the time she gets back.

"But this company is running because of Nanao! What will happen when both she and Jushiro-kun are away for such a long time!" Matsumoto was nearly hysterical. "I won't see a sake bottle for months!"

"Given how you're drowning that stuff, it may be the best thing for you right now." Hitsugaya said

"But, if you're not worried, Hitsugaya-kun, why should Rangiku-san…"

"Oh, I am, Kyoraku-san, I just don't show it." There was a razor edge to the young CEO's voice as he looked at the older man "Nanao-san's absence means that I will drown in paperwork with Rangiku, and if she wants to conduct an efficient research, her stay will last a year at best. Ukitake-san is not due for another ten months, and even with his help, the company needs Nanao's authority to work."

As he led the strawberry blond out of the office, Hitsugaya turned his head towards Shunsui and added "Worried is not strong enough to describe what I'm feeling, because we all know why she's chosen to do something like this at such a time, and I honestly can't comprehend why you both act so childishly, but since you're the one who concealed things from her, you should also be the one to make amends."

But by the time he had come to his wits, Nanao had left…this time for good.

* * *

Hitsugaya closed his cell phone carefully and left it on the coffee table. "We need to talk."

"Definitely." Rangiku smiled as she slid off her shoes and sat down on the armrest of his couch. "Which will be first? My stunning performance today or yours?"

"Stop that." He growled playfully, but she had already helped him shrug off his vest and was rubbing his shoulders "That was Hisagi on the line. He said your car won't be ready for another couple of weeks."

"You're talking about my car when I thought you would lecture me on deceiving our business partner."

"I work with you guys for nearly three months." He said before making a move to grab her. She just laughed and settled behind him on the couch. Toushiro sat a little forward to give her room while also using the opportunity to take one of her legs and stat massaging the small foot. "I'll be damned if I don't know what ways you use to…achieve your goals."

"Hey you!" she squeaked as his thumbs rubbed a particularly ticklish spot. "You know it's for the sake of getting them together. We're lucky Nanao took up the initiative this time, or I wouldn't have known what to do."

"I just hope the guy figures out he can't do without her soon, otherwise we'll be buried under paperwork until spring." He sighed.

"Well, office work can be fun, as you showed me today. But…" she relinquished her frivolous tone for a while "What about you? Is your company going to be alright?"

"Don't worry, there's hardly anything to do there that requires more than half an hour a day." He said, resuming his torture on her other foot "So, about your car…"

"Mmm…." Rangiku sighed as she rested back, her slender fingers running through his hair tentatively "What about it?"

"Hisagi can't seem to determine what was the original color, so the paint job will take a while." He said "It won't be ready for another…couple of weeks."

"A couple of weeks!" despite the pleasant tingle, she couldn't help but stiffen "How will I get to work?!"

"That's what I was trying to talk to you about." Pausing, he turned his head around to look at her. "I can take you there every morning…but that means you'll have to stay with me every night."

There was silence and for a second he thought he stunned her speechless. Then she giggled. "Toushiro, do you mean to tell me that you want me to move in?"

"Just until you car is fixed…I mean I don't want to draw any negative attention…And you might find it inconvenient, at this time, to be living in with me when you practically have to take care of everything…"

He felt her hand on his cheek and found himself turned around to look at her. Rangiku's face was all seriousness when she said:

"Toushiro, I am a woman with a reputation. I know that. But newspapers would make campaigns against people all the time, and there are already rumors flying around. I don't care what they say, but why contradict them when we both know they're true?" she leaned forward and kissed him "I love you, and I'm not afraid to show it. Are you?"

He responded the only way he could.

He kissed the daylights out of her.

* * *


	19. Torn

**

* * *

**

Torn

It didn't start out as well as they thought, though.

If Hitsugaya had some doubts about the cohabitation, then interesting was probably the best word Matsumoto could use to describe it. When the twenty-four hour frenzy passed and they "settled in", the work piled up and they hardly had time to enjoy the benefits of living in the same apartment. His silent moments lasted longer, and she sometimes felt like he was examining her. On the other hand, he hadn't really prepared himself for the shock that would come from living with another woman after Karin, while she only had a vague idea of it.

What could really describe what he felt? Anguish? Anger? Guilt? When he and Karin moved in together, he had hoped that it would be the first step to their "happily ever after". Naturally, when he heard her real sentiments about settling down, he had been miserable enough to think that he'd never be able to do it again, never be able to commit to another woman…at least not in this way.

And now that he betrayed his convictions, he felt painfully…at ease.

Oh, the guilt was there alright. Because he let another person take Karin's place, because he forgot what he put her though, because he was so much at ease, because…because he was clearly incapable of keeping his promises, even to himself…and he felt angry…no, furious, because there were so many convenient excuses for every single one of his actions.

He never abandoned Karin-she rejected him. He didn't forget her, but her family wanted him to be forgotten. She had moved on, so it was only logical that he did the same.

And Rangiku was…amazing. She was full of life and love, not just a flame but a blazing fire. She lived because she loved the life and she knew what she wanted from it. A social butterfly, a corporate goddess, soul of every company, absolutely and irrevocably beautiful, simply…irresistible. The list could go on, but he knew he loved her and wanted to give her what she deserved.

So why, ever since they began living together, did he think of Karin more often than ever?

* * *

It took Rangiku a little more time to figure out what was wrong. At first, between paperwork and getting the most needed things from her apartment to his, she had very little time to observe. And then, as Astrid Lindgren said, "Every woman has a natural urge to decorate her own home", and even if she had done it before, nothing could compare to the havoc moving _in_ with someone caused.

Indeed, it wasn't until she realized that Hitsugaya had enough space in his wardrobe for all her clothes (really, ALL of it), that it occurred to her that there was a hidden meaning behind this whole co-habitation.

It was the fifth night they spent together, and the words "old couple" were spinning in her mind like a broken record. They had made themselves comfortable on the kitchen table because it was the only one that could accommodate _all _their work, with him sitting on the neighboring side, and she was scribbling the word "danger" on a stray piece of paper for five minutes already. Something was bothering her, and she couldn't quite make it out.

Even though Hitsugaya was a single man, his lifestyle wasn't exactly one that you'd call a bachelor's. He lived in a three-room apartment, when he used only a half of. Spacious chambers, large windows, furniture big enough for two or three…

Her eyes followed his hand as he filled out form after form with a practiced, elegant handwriting. Compared to her own clumsy kanji, his looked perfect. His entire countenance was worthy of envy, Matsumoto thought. Even as he rose to get a glass of water, his movements seemed flowing, calculated to the T.

That was, of course, until he opened the wrong cupboard. The expression definitely didn't suit him.

"Rangiku…" he began, after a brief search "Why aren't there glasses in here? I thought we had enough clean ones."

"Of course we do." She said, pleasantly surprised at his using words like "we". "Over to your left, in the lower compartment."

He bent down and dug through the indicated place, found a glass and poured himself some water. However, there was a crease on his forehead that she didn't like. He always got that when he was thinking too much.

"So…you re-arranged those, then?" Toushiro asked as he sat down on the table once more.

"Oh, yeah. I had some time yesterday, and I wondered why you kept them so high. They're harder to reach that way, and we use them a lot more often than the things you had in the lower drawers."

"We do?" he frowned momentarily "I never took notice of it."

"Well, it's pretty uncomfortable having to stand on tiptoes to get them, and it's more likely to drop them if your posture isn't correct." Her eyebrows winged up "Is there something wrong with that arrangement?"

"No. Nothing is wrong…it's just that…I've always had them like this." He was still frowning "I never broke any either. I guess that's why I never thought about them."

"I'm sorry. I should've asked you first…" Rangiku smiled "But I thought that since we have a lot of earthquakes here you might want the breakable stuff somewhere closer to the ground."

"Yes, yes. It makes sense…." He nodded quickly "And if we put the detergents and cleaning products higher, it'll be harder to get them…and we don't use them this often, I mean we don't make a mess…" he was talking a bit too quickly now, and a bit too quietly. Matsumoto had to lean in to hear him, but from the looks of things, it appeared that he was agitated over something.

"Toushiro…" she began, with the intention to ask him straight ahead why did something like this could worry him, when he suddenly said:

"We're both tall, though. We don't need to crouch down to get the cups, it's bad for the back…"

Rangiku nearly fell out of her chair with shock. For a few moments, he was like a man possessed. His gaze was pointed straight forward, not towards someone or something in particular, but…it was blank, absolutely blank! His eyes were like a doll's, and his face was pale and lifeless enough to match them…

Then, the folly left as quickly as she had possessed him. Hitsugaya shook his head and got off the table.

"I'm sorry…" he babbled "I don't know…I just…"

"You don't have to apologize." She got on her feet as well "I'll just put them how they used to be…"

"No, there's no need."

"Yes, there is." Matsumoto circled the table to come to his side "I should've asked you before I did anything."

"No, no, I invited you…"

"But it's your house…"

"Rangiku…." He breathed in deeply "Look, don't worry about the glasses. You were right to do it."

"But…it bothered…"

"I'm just tired, that's all." He said "I think I'll crush in early tonight…you wouldn't mind, would you?"

"No, but…"

"Alright then." He smiled, kissed her on the lips and beat a hasty retreat.

* * *

It took Nanao exactly three days to settle in fully. For a person as strict and organized as herself, it was an incredibly long time, but then again her flight had taken place not two hours after the idea about it had been placed in her head. After all, she wasn't superhuman.

Since the plan hadn't been perfect, there were inconveniences she couldn't avoid. Like the accommodation. Nanao looked around her new home, and carefully wiped her hands in her old shirt. Everything was tiny, she thought. The windows, the bed, the tables, the room…everything was economical, compact, cheap. The walls needed a fresh coat of paint; the old one was practically peeling off before her eyes. Thanks to her hasty leaving, she hadn't had time to pack properly, and now she thanked kami for it, because every flat surface was bound to be covered by her things when she started unpacking.

Perhaps she had to be thankful for the fact that she had her own bathroom-the years in border school had taught her to value personal space more than anything, and in the building where she resided, privacy was like the walls-thin to non-existent.

A smile twinkled on her face as she imagined Rangiku's reaction to seeing her new home. The woman would try and pass out, and then stop herself in mid-way because she thought the floor was dirty. Then she wouldn't leave Nanao alone until she moved somewhere in the centre of the city.

But it really wasn't that bad. Her neighbors were kind and well-meaning, and after a few nights she found out that they weren't noisy either. She had managed to acquire a connection to the Internet, which would allow her to keep in touch with everyone, and, last but not least, the Aoi and Kyoraku families had absolutely no influence here.

The emotions that last part stirred were rather mixed. She was glad, of course, that there was no way for Mitsuko to find her, or that Shunsui might move in the apartment next door. She would give herself a break from the worry, from the stress, and _think. _After all, here, she wouldn't have to ask herself if her next action would trigger the end of her world or not, and she wouldn't have to worry about Shunsui popping around every corner.

Once settled in, she slipped into a routine and developed habits. She did research in the morning, took long walks in the park, ate lunch in a small café near the beach and caught up on all the reading she had neglected thanks to stress and business. The serenity of this new lifestyle wasn't damaged by the occasional drunken student that came back in the wee hours of the morning, or the boyfriend visits her neighbors got. Nanao was a sound sleeper anyway…

However, every time she put on her headphones and played "Moonlight sonata" until she was half-asleep, she found herself going over the same question, again and again: "What will I do when I get back?"

Did she have to go back at all?

Of course, she had to. There were people that needed her, the same people she came to Spain for. And it wasn't in her nature to cower away from problems. _"Mitsuko's annoying and persistent, but if Shunsui shows her that he's ready to do anything for you, she'll step back…"_ Kyoraku Senna had told her _"Go away. I guarantee he'll come after you. Then she'll have to watch out."_

Nanao had done so, and for a while, she believed it was for the best. Then…then the doubts had started flooding in.

As much as she disapproved of Aoi Mitsuko's approach, she couldn't help feeling for her a bit-waiting for all these years to marry, trembling with fear constantly of being tossed aside like a ragged doll, always asking yourself who'd be his next victim-that woman on the street, that woman shopping in the mall, the one in the bookstore, your best friend? Nanao couldn't be sure how much she deserved it, but Kyoraku Shunsui was the type of man that every woman wanted to marry, and dreaded being engaged to. Why? Because he always ended up hurting them, despite his intentions.

The last thought made her heart ache. She didn't want to end up hurt. She had been hurt enough, and she had made amends for her (and her lover's) sins a long time ago. The worst part was that the main reason she ran away from Kyoraku Shunsui wasn't because he had a crazy fiancé. Indeed, she had dealt with people like her before. Gods, but the man was like a human tornado-powerful, unstoppable, passionate…

And she was afraid of him.

Somehow, she couldn't decide whether it was a good thing, a bad thing, or simply horrible.

* * *

That crease on his forehead was definitely unsightly, Nemu thought as she gave Ukitake-san a look over the page of her book. He was reading that letter he got from Japan for twenty-three minutes now, and he was frowning even more with every second. Had something bad happened?

She frowned. If, for all her years with her father, she HAD acquired a definite dislike to something, it had to be illogical situations. Kurotsuchi Mayuri was the kind of man people either hated or admired, and there was never an opinion that stood in the middle for him. He was a genius and a madman, a god and a devil, a cruel father that had managed to raise a daughter all by himself, and a loving husband that had managed to swallow the fact that his wife wanted divorce. Nemu wasn't sure if she liked the former or not. Most people felt horrible when their parents divorced, but she wasn't most people, and she actually spent more time with her mother than she had ever done before. It was probably one of the most illogical things that could happen to her, and yet it did.

When she thought about it (really thought about it), her life was very contradictory. Her parents divorced, but they seemed happier that way. Her father loved her, but as a creation, not as a person. He liked to use terms like "create" and "make"-they were more objective, more…material. You made things, you created objects-things you could see and evaluate. He cared nothing for the more spiritual aspects of life, and he had made sure she wouldn't care either….

That, as she found out, had obviously been incorrect. Her mother, as if she wanted to make amends to her, dragged her out on movies and plays every time she could, and while it wasn't exactly the bonding experience she expected, it gave Nemu more insight on what people around her thought, and about what they generally took for "normal". From all the romantic comedies and dramas, from all the stories where long lost twins brought their parents together and lived happily ever after, she deduced that she ought to feel indignant that her mother and father would want to separate.

But she wasn't. Her father, as it turned out, felt more comfortable in the controlled environment of the lab than with his ex-wife, and her mother's beau, Zaraki Kenpachi made her happy despite the fact that he was anything but the gentle and kind prince charming everyone's looking for. Surprisingly, he often made enough sacrifices to prove how much he liked Unohana Restu, and even took pains to watch "Je vous trouve trés beau" with them.

That movie in particular had been extremely insightful, and Nemu had actually caught herself sighing over the simply endearing ending. However, she didn't understand the comment Zaraki had made in the end, that if the movie had been American, the farmer wouldn't have been short, bald and middle-aged, and that there would be some disaster of biblical proportions to be solved instead of "the county's biggest rabbit" contest. Then again, Nemu figured that she wouldn't have liked the movie as much as she did if the farmer was actually handsome.

She made a note to show it to Ukitake-san as soon as possible. Maybe she could download it, or go to the city and loan a DVD. She wasn't allowed to drive yet, but that hadn't really been a problem.

"A penny for your thoughts, Nemu-san?" his question made her start and she looked up at Ukitake-san, astonished

"What?" she asked, rather un-coolly.

"You seemed deep into thought. Can I share your dilemma?" he asked.

"No, that wasn't…" she frowned again. How did her wondering whether he received bad news turned into something about her, and then totally distracting her from reality. Dreaming herself away wasn't exactly…like her. "I'm sorry, I wasn't…"

"It happens." He smiled. "So, what got you so preoccupied?"

"Nothing." She said "It's just…I remembered a movie I saw…I thought it was endearing."

"Was it?" Ukitake seemed interested.

"Yes." She nodded. "I wondered if I should show it to you."

"That would be nice. Unohana-sensei doesn't let me go to town much, it would definitely be refreshing to see a movie." Mercifully, he didn't add semi-sarcastically that he'd love to see what she thought was endearing.

She knew people thought she was weird. It was so frustrating, always being looked down on as if you were mentally retarded, or mad. Even her mother…Gods, her IQ was probably higher than anyone else's and people discriminated her just because her notion of normal differed from theirs! Suddenly, Nemu felt how the blood drained from her face and her eyes stung with unshed tears.

Great, now she was being emotional over nothing? Nemu blinked, chasing the tears hastily away, but Ukitake had already noticed them.

"Nemu-san, are you alright?" he asked, leaning in to look at her "You seem ill…"

"No, I just…." She rampaged her brain for any explanation, and, coming up with nothing, said the first thing that came to her mind "I just feel sorry about the cat."

"What cat?" Ukitake blinked confusedly.

"The cat…in the movie, Aymé accidentally put the cat in the washing machine."

Still baffled, he rubbed her back comfortingly and kissed the top of her head. It was a simple, calming gesture, completely chaste and brotherly…and still something in her stomach stirred and a second later she felt her entire body growing hot. Startled, Nemu turned questioning eyes towards him, wondering why had this train of thought made her so uncomfortable.

Ukitake-san touched her forehead with his palm, his brow creasing.

"Nemu-san, are you feeling well? You seem to have a fever."

"I…" she swallowed hard and turned her eyes away "I am fine. I will just…I will just go and see if I can find the movie on the Internet then, shall I?"

* * *

A/N-The movie in question translates litterally "I find you very handsome". We saw it in French class, I'd recommend it to you all.


	20. Between the hammer and the anvil

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* * *

**

Between the hammer and the anvil

It was Tuesday, her official reading day, the weather outside was horrible and Nemu was thinking for thirty minutes now why she had chosen to take the window seat instead of the better lit tables in the centre of the room.

She was an organized person-there was no doubt to it. She liked to calculate her time down to the second, and have full control over her actions for the day. Unfortunately, with her newly established friendship with Ukitake-san, she was rather off track, but still, she had habits she kept to vigorously.

Friendship…the word left a strange taste in her mouth. Not a bad one, but still she couldn't get used to it. After all, she hadn't had anything remotely resembling a friend for…well, forever. There had been kids she learned advanced mathematics with, but they had all been the type of prodigious kids that kept to themselves, mostly because of their parents. As Charlotte Bingham said: "Children don't have the same inhibitions as grown-ups, that's why they learn things with far greater ease. When parents see them pick up and play an instrument they think of as extremely complicated, they immediately think that their little ones are something out of the ordinary."

Like Sir Ian had seen the good, the horrible, the talented and the brilliant, Nemu had seen the angry parents, the ones in denial, the ones who turned their children into gods and those who were simply obsessed. After her classmates had been submitted through the hothouse of genius studies, they were naturally closed and quiet, unwilling to take up friendships. Not that they would be allowed any.

In that aspect, her father was a model-parent. He wasn't the least bit impressed by her achievements. For him, genius was to be expected, since she was his creation, and even if she wasn't as smart, he would've simply pushed her until she was. Instead of treating her like the next so-and-so, he just told her what to read and work herself to perfection.

Had she really become as perfect as he wanted her? Obviously he wasn't pleased with her efforts, otherwise he would've found a way to make her better even from a distance. And now…

Now she was having a friend. It wasn't very difficult to see what her mother was trying to do by making him see her every day, but she was still grateful for this chance. From the first moment, he had struck her as a gentle person, and he was also smart…they could talk for hours and she wouldn't feel any sort of worry over it.

But for some time now, she felt restless. And after they moved on to movies, she got worse by each passing day. French movies were the most realistic in her opinion, because they showed life as it was, without hushing anything away. She had watched parents and children deal with the problems that would naturally arise, a scorned wife re-arrange her life, a devastated family finding themselves again, a lesbian couple bringing up a child despite their families, a young woman leave her savior for a younger man just to realize that he had been the one for her all along…Those movies broke through the logical filter she usually put between herself and the world and made her think…Perhaps being normal had its good sides.

Lately, she'd began watching more movies, and somehow, all of them were about love. It couldn't be helped, since their soundtracks were nice, but…for some reason something was bothering her.

With a sigh, she went to the bookshelf and left the encyclopedia she'd been looking over for something less…mind-engrossing. Her fingers ghosted over the rims of the books, as if she wasn't sure, then she suddenly pulled out the first title that caught her attention.

Nobody had taken the trouble to arrange the books, so you could often find medic encyclopedias next to chick-flick, or philosophical tractates next to fantasy books. People weren't that picky, as long as there were newspapers to bring them news from the outside world. The one she had picked was branded with the name "Stormy hearts" and judging by the review on the back, it was a "mind blowing story of romance and betrayal", a "masterpiece what keeps your hair standing on its edge" and "probably M.G.L.R.W. King's best work yet."

The cover showed horsemen in the prairie, one young, blond and handsome, and another one, with white hairs in his black locks, a crooked nose and a steely stare. They were both looking at a rock nearby where a young woman stood in profile, gazing at the stars. Although it was very stylishly drawn, Nemu was able to find at least ten misspelled words, just in the description, and since things didn't look optimistic, she made a move to return it.

She looked over different titles, looked over descriptions, skimmed through pages, but ended up drawing out "Stormy hearts" again and looking at it. Then she cracked open the cover of the book and sat down to read.

An hour and two hundred pages later, Nemu had moved from the window to a table, to make room for herself, the book, and the rather large dictionary where she looked up the meaning of all the strange words she found. So far, she had looked over the work in two ways. In the first, she looked over spelling and grammar mistake, in the second, she tried to analyze the book through a sentimental point of view. The editorial look wasn't very pleasing because the translator had probably just gotten his degree, and the other one….

The story wasn't exactly what she liked to read-a movie star going away from the glamour of the big city life to live in a state that was positively wild because it was too much for her. And there she suddenly found not one, but two men who were willing to help her out with her misfortune-one, who was old and grim and the obvious antagonist, and another who was handsome, young, accomplished in everything and gifted like a horse. Despite the obvious goodness in one and evil in the other, Nemu felt herself warming up more towards the villain than to the handsome hero. His character, at least, had been given some depth, even if it was to make him even more disgusting. He reminded her a bit of Claude Frollo of Notre Dame de Paris-torn, broken and fair; and despite the fact that he was the villain, he had been originally good.

As the book advanced Nemu paused between the chapters to look at the cover. _What does that girl see in that inexperienced, selfish brat?_ she wondered. Even if the artist hadn't done justice to his fair features and large muscles, he couldn't step on his rival's finger. He was so much more…realistic. If I were her….Nemu caught herself before she finished that thought.

If she were the heroine of the novel…she wouldn't have left the big city. She would've sought help, discreetly of course, and she would've made history. Maybe she would've gone to fewer parties, since her ex-fiancé had cheated on her during one, and she would do more exercise, lest she start drinking again. And she would read more-there was a thoughtful description of every house in the county, but nobody mentioned books or classical music until they spoke of the villain. Typical-only bad guys care for history and science, while good guys rolled in the hey.

She couldn't understand it. Was it really so wrong that Richard sought a beautiful mind instead of a beautiful body? It looked as if he was the villain just because he lived in solitude and preferred to keep to himself. In Nemu's eyes, that was hardly a fault, especially when Ken, the blond lover boy, only showed interest in the heroine's body.

Her mind gloomy, she shut the book closed, and as she mused over the book's imperfections, Kurotsuchi Nemu drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Whenever he couldn't think, it was either his books or the fake cliffs in the park.

Hitsugaya took off his jersey and tied the safety belt around his waist. To be frank, he preferred re-arranging his library, but now it wouldn't do. His body just wouldn't let him forget the problem at hand, and he needed to forget it…definitely.

He had slept surprisingly soundly; hence he missed Rangiku, and the chance to apologize to her properly. Throughout the day, he often picked up the phone with the intention to call her and apologize, but stopped dialing in mid-way and hung up. No work could distract him, and his efforts to do otherwise only brought him a horrible headache. Hinamori's attempts to "help" only made it worse, and he ended up taking the afternoon off.

It wasn't like he didn't want to apologize. On the contraire, he loved Rangiku, and he couldn't stand the thought that she was hurt because of him. Therefore, calling her and straightening things out was supposed to be the first thing on his list…yet he hadn't done anything. Why? How hard could it be to say that he was sorry?

How could've he gotten so upset over some glasses too? It wasn't like they held some special meaning for him. He and Karin hadn't been fighting over their placement either…No, stop thinking about Karin, he ordered himself, this isn't about Karin! There is no comparing the two of them!

There was nothing to compare either. Karin was energetic and fiery, ambitious and sometimes a bit too arrogant for her own good. Rangiku was kind and giving, liked to have fun and sometimes, just sometimes, irked him with her overly-exuberant style. Maybe, just maybe, there were common points between them, but he wasn't willing to put them on scales just to see which one was better. It wouldn't be fair.

And yet here he was, unconsciously, comparing them, and judging by the little scene from yesterday, he had ruled in Karin's favor.

Lord, he felt like a scumbag. As if Rangiku's insecurities with Ichimaru Gin hadn't been enough, now he had made her feel as if she was competing with a woman…a girl, she hadn't even met. A girl, he realized, that couldn't even dream of being like her. Karin was a brilliant soccer star and a woman of the world, but she wasn't as near as mature as Matsumoto Rangiku, or as level-headed. Even though he still felt bitter about that whole business with the Kurosaki family, Hitsugaya was calm enough to decide where his former lover stood.

Apologize! Yes, he had to apologize, ASAP!

He let go of the rock and quickly got down. Usually a safety maniac, this time Hitsugaya couldn't get out of the ropes fast enough to head home. Traffic jams, red lights, it was as if everything worked against him.

"Damn it!" Toushiro growled "Get a move on, you…"

He was already running when he locked the car, by the time he entered the building, he was sprinting. The elevators wouldn't come, so he took the stairs. By the time he had reached the sixth floor, his lungs were killing him, but he didn't stop. He realized that he would only scare her witless if he barged into the apartment screaming "Forgive me!" He needed to stay calm. He needed a strategy. He needed…he needed some air.

Hitsugaya fumbled with the keys as he stood before the door. Was she even home yet? A quick look at his watch confirmed that she was supposed to be, but what if her bus hadn't come in time? What if she had had some trouble? What if she…God, what if someone had done something to her? Nearly half-mad with worry, he was about to turn on his heel and drive all over town to look for her when the door opened and he heard Rangiku call after him.

"Toushiro! Toushiro, wait!" he turned around to see her staggering to put on her trainers to come out to see him "Please, don't go! I'm sorry about yesterday! I put all the things I misplaced just as they were before. Please, just stay with me!"

Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were red and puffy. By the rumpled look of her clothes, he judged that she hadn't been able to get more than a few hours' work done before she had come back. Only the Lord would know what thoughts had passed through her head as she waited for him all day. Hitsugaya stared at her incredulously, before he stepped towards her, pulled her in his arms and kissed her senseless.

"I'm sorry." He whispered

"You're not angry with me?" she asked

"Of course not." He kissed her again "I should've been the one apologizing."

Rangiku rested her forehead on his and laughed through tears. "There's nothing to apologize for…but if you insisted on that…there's still time."

Smiling, Toushiro picked her up bridal style, and carried her inside, away from prying eyes. Her laugher rung and echoed in the hallway as the door closed silently behind them.

* * *

"I have a solution." He announced

"Mm…I think there wasn't any problem so far." Rangiku sighed as she snuggled closer to him "Come on, Toushiro, are you still feeling guilty about earlier?"

"It's not something you can just forgive and forget." He sighed "My reaction was stupid and irrelevant. You didn't deserve such treatment."

"I should've been more thoughtful."

"You're not a psychiatrist and I'm not a patient. You can be human with me."

"That just about goes for you as well."

"I shouldn't have compared you to Karin. She's nothing to me, and she shouldn't mean any more to you." He brushed a few golden strands from her eyes and smiled "Let's move in together."

"We already have."

"I mean, in a new place. Closer to the park, since the view is better."

"Toushiro…" she struggled to sit up "We can't just do that. You've lived here for so long."

"I can afford a better apartment, and this time you'll be free to decorate it without me freaking out over stupid things like glass placement."

"If it's about that, you can just as well move in with me. I've already decorated my place, and you already feel comfortable there."

"Yeah, but I'd have to bring a thousand things with me. We'd need some place bigger."

"Toushiro, be serious."

"Me, Rangiku?" he grinned.

"It's a big step." She said, folding her feet under her and pulling one of the bed sheets over her bare chest in an attempt to look serious. As much as she liked spontaneous decisions, it WAS a big leap and after what she'd seen, she wasn't all that sure that he could take it. Not that she didn't trust Toushiro, but…Kurosaki Karin had hurt him in more ways than he thought. She had become a part of his life, she had been pregnant with his child, and she had driven the car…Being rejected was far from being the worst part of it.

"I can take it." He said, standing up to be face to face with her "I want to do it. For you."

Matsumoto swallowed and took a deep breath. Calm down. CALM DOWN!

There was, of course, her part in this. She couldn't fool herself that this wasn't serious when he actually wanted to buy an apartment for the two of them. Not that she had had any doubts about his seriousness, but…Seeing him do things like that was making her feel as if she was heading straight first for the aisle without even thinking first.

She wasn't what you'd call an un-impulsive person, but she needed some reassurance. After all, her own parents had gone straight for the marriage without even bothering to think, and they had divorced after ten years (which was an achievement, even though accomplished through her mother's complicated pregnancies).

But aren't you getting too far into the future, Matsumoto asked herself. After all, Toushiro wasn't her father. He had the guts to tell people what he thought and also had some sense of honor. He wouldn't leave her all alone with two babies on her hands. At the very least, he would give her an explanation.

It's ok. You can do this. "So…you say I can decorate it all by myself?"

He grinned. "Absolutely. You can paint the walls pink and gold if you want, for all I care."

"Hmm…" she was pensive for a while "Maybe not pink and gold…too rococo for my taste…pink and silver, on the other hand…."

Toushiro laughed and pulled her in for another kiss. Her fingers dove into his soft hair as she responded, but…the knot in her stomach didn't loosen.

* * *

A/N-I'm performing a cleanup. Please look at the poll on my profile page for details.

I hope you liked this chappie.


	21. Reminiscence

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* * *

**

Reminiscence

Nemu awoke, feeling strangely stiff and uneasy. As she blinked the sleep away and rubbed her neck, she was surprised to find herself sprawled on the window seat, her books placed in a neat stack next to her. The girl rose slowly to a sitting position and eyed the library. It was dark outside, which meant she had probably slept through the entire day, but…why hadn't anyone come looking for her.

She would've asked herself how she got to the window seat as well, since she remembered dozing off on the table, but that was quickly answered when she realized she was covered with a long white coat, property of Ukitake Jushiro. The man himself was nowhere in sight, but Nemu supposed that he would show up if she called for him. She was halfway to do so, too, when, instead, she picked up the coat and examined it.

There was no logical explanation why, but the man looked amazing in white. Whether it was the strange color of his hair, or his pale complexion, the color suited him naturally. Nemu herself hadn't given much thought to what color, or clothes, would suit her best. She'd grown up wearing clothes from second-hand shops because her father didn't see a reason to waste money on brand new ones. If possible, she even wore his old lab-coats at home. He breathed a 'hallelujah' when she went to kindergarten, and then to school, because they all wore uniforms that were also good for wearing at home. Now she just put on whatever she felt more comfortable in, with no regards of fashion or design. It didn't bother her like it would bother most girls her age-Nemu had just figured that it wouldn't matter, or make a difference.

It was strange, therefore, that she noticed how Ukitake was dressed. He had natural grace, an elegance that couldn't be hidden-from the way his hair fell to the way certain colors looked on him. Did he notice how she looked? He'd never remarked on her choice of clothes, but then again, he was pretty tactful when it came to people's flaws, and he was conscious of his looks. And why was she suddenly feeling so uneasy if she imagined him disapproving of her? Her father's wrath, she had had reasons to avoid it, but somehow, the thought of Ukitake-san being disappointed in her offered a whole new level of shame?

Nemu had gotten the idea that women valued looks more than men, and yet she remembered some passages in the book that she had been reading where entire paragraphs were dedicated to the clothes, shoes and make-up of the characters. The main hero seemed more interested in the heroine when she was "dolled-up", and she recalled distinctly how he commented on that whenever they were about to engage into sexual intercourse.

It was a curious thesis. She had to ask Ukitake-san if it mattered to him whether the woman was dressed well or not. Filing this for future reference, Nemu also recalled a certain paragraph where scent was described as one of the villain's obsessions. Remembering the way he smelled at every object he got from the woman and got an 'impression of her', she brought the coat closer to her face and carefully sniffed it.

"Ah, Nemu-san, you're awake." The voice made her start and nearly drop the garment, but the years under her father had taught her, if not perfect obedience, than self-control. She turned around to see Ukitake-san walking through to room with a few books in hand.

"I'm sorry. Did my mother sent you to look for me?" she asked.

"Oh, no. Unohana-sensei was busy with a problematic patient. I just decided to come down and get some books to read. You got me interested in Charlotte Bronte, and I wanted to be ready for our meeting tomorrow. I hope you will excuse me-I saw you lying on that table and thought that you might get a sore back, so I moved you here. Are you alright?"

"Yes. I am very well. Thank you." Nemu swung her feet off the seat and handed him the coat "Weren't you cold?"

"No, I was fine." He smiled, and for a split second she felt something tighten in her chest. Why did she feel so…enclosed all of the sudden? She had the most distasteful urge to jump up and scream happily. 'Over-exuberance is unbecoming.' Her father once told her. Like everything, she had taken it for granted. But didn't he say that novels were for fools? And Ukitake read Bronte, despite the fact that he was very intelligent. "So, you decided to do some reading yourself?"

"Yes." Nemu picked up 'Story Hearts' and showed it to him "I was curious to read some contemporary literature and found this."

"I've never heard of that author." He noted, taking the book from her and going over the pages where her bookmark was set. Immediately, his eyes widened and a strange flush surfaced on his cheeks. Nemu had cut her reading right in the middle of a rather racy love scene in the stables, which the antagonist had been observing. Apparently, the part right after his thoughts and feelings were described had bored her to sleep, but Ukitake had a really hard time keeping his jaw from dropping as he skimmed over the words and sentences.

Really, why did Unohana keep such novels in the library? Sure, people had different tastes, but if Nemu could read things like this, she would get really strange ideas. She was supposed to expand her horizons, but not in this direction. But then again her mother had probably thought that she wasn't the….type, to read such literature.

Carefully closing the book, he returned it to her. "Well…this was most…educational."

"You read something interesting, Ukitake-san?" she asked.

"Nemu…um…why did you pick this book to read? It definitely doesn't seem like something you'd choose."

"That is exactly why I took it. And I was curious, because I seem to warm up towards Richard, the antagonist, and wanted to see if the author will show him as a good guy at some point. So far, however, she is trying her best to make him look perverse, antisocial and evil, but her efforts to do it through pointing out the goodness in his counterpart only make the former look clumsy and unfinished."

"I suppose that too much goodness in one is not healthy." He said wisely, sitting next to her on the window

"Ukitake-san…I wanted to ask you a few questions that rose from my reading this book." She began, as she made more room for him.

"Questions?" oh, boy, this would get ugly, he thought, bracing himself for the storm

"Yes. There are quite a few things that the author underlines through the narrative and I wished to discuss them with someone. First…why does the heroine pick the hero over the villain? If one overlooks the obvious difference of habits and behavior in society, their characters would suggest that she should fall in love with Richard, because he is smart, calm, and reliable. Second, if the heroine should be as brilliant as she is described to be, why does she give such importance to her looks and does not read? And finally, how do looks and copulation fit into the whole scheme? I understand that the former has a great meaning to relationships nowadays, but a great many paragraphs are dedicated to the description of a dress, which has no relevance to the situation because it is more or less discarded by the end of the chapter."

Ukitake's expression could be described as…totally and irrevocably dumbstruck. Even his control over his jaw had slackened, opening his mouth a bit. Why on Earth…well, he knew that everyone had their own writing style, but…How was it possible that the girl was nearly twenty years old and she couldn't understand things like that? He was definitely having a word with her mother.

"Well…for the first and second, I can't answer you unless I read the book…" which, at this point, was unavoidable "And as for the third…well…Nemu-san, as you said, sex is considered a milestone in a relationship nowadays. It means that the two people involved trust each other and care for one another enough to take such a step. Looks…well, they shouldn't be that important, but when people are in love, they try to look their best for their…partner, because good looks are generally valued in today's society." He spoke the words slowly, carefully, as if he himself wasn't sure whether they were correct.

"But you just said that it shouldn't matter. Does the change matter or the changing itself?"

"Well, yes. The changing matters, because….because it means you are willing to do something for your special person, even though you yourself never considered it."

"But that would go against people's beliefs. If people went against their beliefs, they wouldn't be themselves. If they are not themselves, the others would love them for something they are not."

That was…generally true. However, there was more to it….

"A slight change wouldn't hurt anyone, and it might please the one you love." He hoped that it would be enough of an explanation.

"Do looks matter to you, Ukitake-san?" She asked "Would a woman's attire determine whether you would engage a relationship with her or not?"

"You can't judge a book by the cover, Nemu-san. I generally wait until I get to know her before we become a couple." Why was it so hard telling her this? He was older than her, a man aged before his time, and he was supposed to be teaching her the ways of life. She wasn't even an adult, more like a…woman-child in her innocence. Why was it so hard to be a father-figure for her then? With every passing day, he realized that he couldn't handle the themes of their conversations. Whenever it was about love, relationships or simply….sex, he felt that he couldn't be impassive about it. And the looks he caught himself giving her…as if he was evaluating something.

The things that happened beyond his reason freaked him out, disgusted him…

"Generally, I prefer to get to know her…but I can't deny that sometimes, I feel inclined to get to know someone who is…more attractive."

"I see…" she nodded, before getting on her feet and excusing herself for the night.

* * *

Nanao stretched as she finally finished the document she'd been writing on her laptop. She was inclined to crash in early, disregarding the fact that she didn't need to get up early tomorrow, when something flashed and a chat room screen opened.

Nan-chan's-knight: Nanao-chan?

Hesitating between turning it off or not, Nanao looked at the profile carefully. Japanese. 31 years old. CEO. Shunshui?

Nan-chan's-knight: I wrote you another poem. Wanna hear it?

Yup, definitely him. Not that the username was very cryptic.

: I don't want to hear it, thank you very much.

Nan-chan's-knight: Ah, so cruel, Nanao-chan. I thought that the distance straightened love, and you are still unchanged.

: I've only been away for less than a two weeks.

Nan-chan's-knight: It feels like an eternity to my lovesick heart.

: Do you have any reason to call me, other than waxing eloquent about your heart again?

Nan-chan's-knight: I wanted to know how you are doing, my Nanao-chan. How is it? Are your neighbors good to you? Are they good men?

: Yes. But I'm living in a female dorm.

Nan-chan's-knight: Ah, you care for me, Nanao-chan! You spared my heart! No men around you then?

: The only thing I would admire about you is your ability to type fast.

Nan-chan's-knight: One day you'll say it, my sweet.

: Say what?

Nan-chan's-knight: That you cannot live without me.

She didn't answer. For one, she wasn't sure what to say. He was right, to some extent, but…she wouldn't tell him. And…how could she actually tell him anything, when she wasn't absolutely sure it was him. For one thing, he wrote with amazingly little mistakes.

Nan-chan's-knight: You there, Nanao-chan?

: How did you find me?

Nan-chan's-knight: You said where you were going, remember?

: I meant how you found me here.

Nan-chan's-knight: I asked Ran-san, of course.

: Why hasn't she called me yet?

Nan-chan's-knight: Problems with Hitsugaya-kun, I guess. The company's drowning in paperwork.

She paused. Her lips quirked into a thin smile, and she allowed herself a small laugh as she typed down: "Nice try, Aoi-san." ,before logging off. If Rangiku had problems with Hitsugaya, the paperwork would've been the first to know.

* * *

Meanwhile, Matsumoto's future couldn't look any brighter. No, seriously bright, because the young woman was standing on the last floor of a construction site, where, according to the manager, hers and Hitsugaya's new apartment would be.

The building was nearly finished, although the front façade was still missing, leaving them staring at the park through no windows or walls.

"Like I said…" the man showing them around caught her attention "It'll be another six months before anyone could move in, but by that time, everything will be fixed. The best part of buying a place that is still in construction is that you guys can have some walls changed and get a saying in the paint job."

"Yeah…" Hitsugaya murmured pensively as he looked over the blueprints. "Look, Rangiku, we can arrange for shelves to be installed. Do you want to set up a library in this room, or the other?"

"Hmm…" she swallowed hard, tearing her eyes away from the view and holding onto the wall hard enough for her knuckles to turn white. She had to stop thinking about the fact how high they were. "Well…I'm not sure that…I mean…" she looked at him "Toushiro, are you sure we need a three-room suit?"

"Yeah." He said, eyebrows winging upwards "I mean, we'll need one for guests, won't we?"

"Erm…probably, but…" she slowly walked away from the edge, careful, lest she be walking in the wrong direction. "My mother wouldn't visit that often."

"Neither will mine, but with Nanao running away from Kyoraku all the time…" he left the blueprints and took her hand in his "Are you alright?"

"Sure…Just…too high…" she swallowed hard, wiping the cold sweat from her brow. Just one step towards the drop…Oh, Lord!

Matsumoto took a deep breath to hold herself together through the elevator ride. Mercifully, she made it to the parking lot, where she braced herself on a tree and threw up.

* * *

"Sorry…" she mumbled when, a few minutes later, the two of them were walking through the park. The smell of verdure and autumn was slowly calming her down, but she still felt shaken "I guess I can't take heights too well."

"It's alright, really." Hitsugaya said, brushing a few strands of strawberry hair from her temples. They stopped to get a bottle of water. "Though it never bothered you before."

"Everything's fine, as long as there's a nice wall between you and the drop." Rangiku explained, drowning the beverage in one gulp. "I don't understand it either, but all of the sudden I felt absolutely…light-headed. And then I was cold." She shivered "One wrong step and I might have fallen."

"I wouldn't have allowed it." He assured her, shrugging off his jacket and throwing it over her shoulder. "Are you feeling better."

"Somewhat. I don't know, Toushiro, maybe we shouldn't aim for big places like that. We really don't need three bedrooms."

"You're right." He nodded "I've got to stop thinking like a…never mind. I just thought that, since you liked guests so much…that we would need more space."

"I like to have people around me, but my place is smaller and I still manage to throw nice gatherings. Really, we shouldn't waste money on a mansion when we wouldn't need half of it."

"I'm more concerned about you." He said, reaching out to touch her forehead "You're warm."

"I don't feel warm." Rangiku sighed, hugging herself deeper into his jacket.

"Come along." He wrapped his arms around her "Let's go home. You'll lie down, you'll relax, and I'll finish up your share of paperwork."

"As tempting as that sounds…" she laughed "I really have to go back. Shunsui's tearing his hair off and you know how bad that looks."

"Point taken. But Rangiku…" he looked at her in the eyes "Promise me that you'll look after yourself. If you feel the slightest discomfort, you are going straight home, do you understand?"

"I guess there's no way I couldn't have." She smiled, hugging him gently.

However, as the day advanced, the less paperwork was being done and her visits to the ladies' room became more frequent. She couldn't even look at the lunch Kiyone brought for her, and she was getting edgier as the hours passed.

She tossed her pen aside with disgust and eyed the office as if it was somehow responsible for her misfortune. It wasn't really her fault that she got sick, just…she didn't want to be. There were too many things to do. As her gaze went over the familiar objects in search for a distraction, it fixed on the calendar. Matsumoto frowned. Something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The square was on the correct day, but…something bothered her.

Getting on her feet, the blond crossed the room and eyed the carefully scribbled dates. And then…then all the air left her body and she had to grab onto the wall, lest she fall down. Her heart seemed to stop beating and a cold shiver went down her spine. Because something, or better, the lack of something, was staring at her with such a surprising clarity that it brought a panic attack to her.

"Oh God…" she moaned quietly, sloping down on a chair "God, you can't be doing this to me."

* * *

A/N-Reviews, people!


	22. An unexpected development

**

* * *

**

An unexpected development

"Well, Matsumoto-san, I believe that this news come as no surprise to you." Kotetsu Isane beamed as she looked over the results from her patient's tests. The former only swallowed dryly and stirred slightly in her seat.

"Yeah…I had some idea about it, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't cancer first. I've heard that they have similar symptoms."

"Let's be glad it's not that." She said "Congratulations. You're going to be a mother."

Rangiku only nodded slowly, too stunned to do anything else. As Isane fussed around, digging up leaflets and forms, she could only stare, eyes glassy, thoughts in disarray. A mother. She was going to be a mother. It wasn't…that unexpected, given the amount of make-up sex they'd been having lately.

"Matsumoto-san? Matsumoto-san?" Isane tried to catch her attention "Excuse me, you seemed out of it."

"No, I was just…yeah, I guess I did space out there for a bit." She laughed "Sorry, Isane-chan, I'm taking up your time."

"It's not a big deal. You gave my sister a job, and she didn't even know how to use a computer-the least I can give you is my full attention."

"Kioyne-chan is great. She makes up for my lack of computer skill." Matsumoto tried to lighten up the mood with small talk, but it wasn't doing anything for that knot in her stomach. "She told me that you were a very capable doctor."

"I can't say anything for that matter. But I assure you, I'll take good care of you. Now, we will have to see how to fit the monthly check-ups in your schedule, but I can work this out with Kiyone. I can check how my other colleagues are with their shifts and see when we can set up dates for cross-reference examinations, if we need a second opinion on echo soundings and the analysis of the..."

"Excuse me, just…" she waved her hands in the air "What are you talking about?"

"Well…pregnancy is a very complicated process. We need to run tests on blood and other bodily fluids to make sure that the baby is healthy. You need to consult your parents and see if you or your partner have a family history of genetic diseases. But…" she hurried to add "…we wouldn't need to do most of these until the later stages of the pregnancy. A…and I assure you, everything will be done with the uttermost discreetness."

"Discreetness?" Matsumoto mumbled weekly, more to herself than to Isane "Is there any need to be discreet?"

"Err…I mean…I'm guessing that you wouldn't want the media to learn about it before its time, right?"

"Oh…yes, you're quite right, dear." She fumbled with the hem of her skirt

"So…given the readings, you should expect your little baby bird in around eight months, probably at the beginning of April." The young doctor smiled.

"Isane-chan…" Rangiku looked at her, as if she was seeing her for the first time "What did you just say?"

"That…your term should be somewhere in the first week of April?"

"No…no, you just said "little baby bird". Why did you call my baby…little bird?"

"Oh…" she laughed "It's something I got from reading a lot, Matsumoto-san. I found this novel, you see, by Charlotte Bingham called "The magic hour". You should see it, it's very good. An obstetrician there had taken to calling unborn children "little chaps" and I developed a similar habit."

"But…why?" she asked, utterly amazed that someone would say something like that. Doctors worked with terms. They said fetus and embryo, sometimes baby, but never gave their patients…pet names.

"Well…the action took place before World War Two, but the theme is pretty omnipresent." Isane's eyes darkened a bit "He did it to build a conscience in their mothers as fast as possible and prevent them from doing something as stupid as abortion."

"Oh…" was the only thing Rangiku managed.

"Yes…Matsumoto-san, I hope you understand, avoiding abortion is my job. I can't let any one of my patients do it, unless it is unavoidable. Many women do it only to regret their decision, some of them scarring themselves for life with imprudent procedures and incompetent doctors. You are a young, healthy, strong person-you are neither pressed by social or financial factors that stop you from raising your child."

"Don't worry. I wasn't even considering it." She assured her "I'm sorry if I worried you, it's just that…"

"You weren't that ready for the news?" Isane prompted

"Yeah…." She rubbed her forehead. "It's just that…that…" It was just that she couldn't even begin to comprehend what was going on. They'd always been so careful. He always made sure that…but things happened, right?

Things? This was a child she was talking about, not some…mishap.

But really, could it be? There had been times when she had thought that the size of her boobs had done something to her, making her as infertile as a mule. Toushiro was very careful about what he did, how he did it and…and he always seemed ready. Not like Gin…good Lord, they had done it in the lift when they were on a ski trip and nothing happened. Now…now…

Rangiku shook her head. She had to stop this, before she started comparing like Toushiro.

Which, unfortunately, brought on the other big problem…

Silently, Matsumoto took the leaflets and instructions Isane had scribbled down for her, promised to come back as soon as possible to determine the dates of the check ups, left the hospital and, instead of taking the bus back to work, made a turn towards the nearest train station.

* * *

The sea had always calmed her. There was…just nothing like taking a stroll down the beach, let the waves wash your feet and stare at the endless blue of the horizon. September had come colder than usual, chasing the holiday-makers away and turning the once lively beach into a makeshift desert, with only a few excited swimmers fighting the waves.

Rangiku sighed, wrapped her arms around herself and let the cold wind lash into her face. Pregnant. Wow. Apparently, miracles did happen. Even a useless person like herself could be blessed with the miracle of a child. She'd never seen herself as a mother, but now that she was about to become one, there wasn't a doubt that she would have the baby.

The question at hand, as always, was whether she should tell Toushiro or not.

"_Of course!"_ reason, rather huskily, shouted _"He's the father. He MUST know! Besides, it's not like you can hide something like this from him!"_

"_Can she really?"_ another voice called slyly _"She can call Nanao. Tell her to cut the crap and come home. Take a break when it starts showing, give birth to it in some secluded place…"_

_  
"Oh, right, and what about Toushiro? Is she supposed to break up with him."_

_  
"That appears to be the only logical solution, once a couple reaches a point beyond which they cannot go on."  
_

"_Really? And what makes you think that he doesn't want children?"_

That nearly did her in. Her eyes started to sting as she couched down on the sand, and, not caring for her costume, promptly sat down and cried her eyes out.

There was a reason why he was so careful with her, alright. The same reason why he asked her if she wanted to move in a brand new flat with him, the reason why he freaked about the glass arrangement….He didn't want to get her pregnant and have history repeat itself. Even though she was not the person to hate him for doing it, even though she wanted that baby and would like nothing more than have him love their child; even though she would never drink too much and shove the car into a tree...He still didn't want to risk.

She knew Toushiro still wanted a family. The spacious apartments, buying too many things for one person, unnecessarily fussing over her vehicle…it was the behavior of a married man. But the fact that he was so careful only brought on one fact. Matsumoto squeezed her eyes, letting the tears fall as she tried to fight it. _He wouldn't do that_, she thought, _he would never do that to me intentionally…_

And yet people did things unintentionally more often than they plan, her mind reminded her. He didn't want children with HER. He wanted a family with Karin. Soccer star, tomboyish, lovely Karin. Despite the fact that he knew it was impossible, he still wouldn't move on. And while the cold, trained reason understood that, passion, the feeling which ruled her life, refused to accept it.

Still…what's the worst he could do when she told him? She still had a few more months before she began showing, she could feel the soil and work it. How hard could it be, convincing him that he wanted children with her, then drop the bomb. He loved her, he wanted to live in a new place with her, he wanted to make her happy…a child could only make things better.

Slightly hopeful, she looked up. Yeah, why should he reject her? And even if he did, so what? If he didn't love her…she'd get over it. She'd cry, but that was as far as it would go. She was a strong, beautiful, independent woman, and if he wouldn't treat her right, she knew a man on the Bahamas that would. Just the thought of it sounded funny, but…it livened her up.

"Really, what's wrong with me." She laughed, putting her hands on her stomach "This is your fault, darling dear, but don't worry, I'll get better." This was her baby, growing under her heart, and she wasn't going to let anyone spoil the moment.

Going back to the station, she made a mental note to fix her make up in the bathroom. She couldn't break the news to Toushiro looking like that.

* * *

However, he was at a meeting when she called, and Hinamori promptly told her that it would take at least three more hours. For the first time, the girl's vehemence got to her, but Matsumoto just asked her cheerfully to tell Toushiro she wanted to speak to him, and hung up.

She sat down in her office and, to fill the time, started doing the thrice-cursed paperwork. Even though there were better things to do, she had to fill her time and calm herself enough to talk to Toushiro. She needed to have a mind, as clear as a spring morning, as fresh as newly melted snow.

Spring. She paused, a small smile emerging on her face, her hand going up to caress her stomach gently. Her baby would be born in spring. In the first days of April. Best time to get born, she thought, the winder was shooed away, the days would be warm, perfect for healthy walks outside. And there would be flowers, all sorts of flowers-hyacinths, poppies, tulips, daffodils, carnations and maybe even some stray snowdrop. That was her Toushiro, he had a perfect timing for everything.

"_You'll see…"_ she thought _"…he'll love you. Everything will be fine. We'll go together break the news to everyone. Nanao would probably sob with relief, and Grimmjaw wouldn't stay far behind. And Orihime…your auntie will kiss you and squeeze you and if I don't shower you with enough affection, she will, and she'll do it for your father as well. He's not much the type to show emotions, but I've got a good feeling that he'll be jumping around like rabbit for a while."_

And now that rabbits were mentioned…Isane-chan had said something about changing your diet. She had to bring Kiyone up to date with her new requirements. She had to eat healthily, so she would. Lots of soups, lots of milk, vegetables and fruits, that was good for the baby. Tea, perhaps, would be a good idea, and whole grain cereal. To think, all the changes a baby brought to one's life. They would have to reconsider that three-bedroom offer, Rangiku thought with some glee, but she wouldn't step on that building before everything was completed and the apartment was a hundred percent secure.

The happy thoughts gave her the strength to go over another pile of paperwork and clear her table, when there was commotion outside, and she heard Kiyone's voice call.

"Please, miss, you can't do that."

"Where is he? The papers said he worked with this company too, right? Where's his office?" a woman's voice said

"What's going on?" Shunsui boomed in the hallway and Matsumoto noted that his usually cheery voice had gotten gloomier. Whether Nanao's absence was taking its tool out of him, or the paperwork, he looked like something the cat dragged in for some time.

Wondering whether she should go outside or listen from her office (she didn't have a problem either way), Matsumoto got up from her seat. Perhaps Shunsui had broken another heart, or Aoi Mitsuko had taken in too much alcohol last night, but she didn't recognize the voice. However, the woman sounded on the brick on insanity, and in such cases, a councilor was most needed.

"Are you looking for Kyoraku-san, miss?" Kiyone tried again. Matsumoto frowned: since when did Kiyone sound so…worried. Was the person really scary? Shunsui was usually careful when he picked a girlfriend, but she'd once had him sing "The royal officer's wedding song" after a hard night, so she was pretty sure he was capable of doing the impossible if you got a few liters of water into him.

"Who the hell are you? Leave me alone!" the woman yelled and at that moment Rangiku decided that it would be best to make her entry. Opening the door, she steeled herself against anything that might come in her way, walked out…

And thank God she had prepared herself, because out there, between Kiyone and Shunsui, was a person she'd thought she'd never meet.

* * *


	23. Interview

**Interview**

Rangiku took a sharp breath as the color started draining from her cheeks. She didn't know when, why, or how Kurosaki Karin had figured out to come to this office, but she was sure that the man responsible for this would die. Anger, desperation and fear flooded her soul, but she managed to hold off the panic attack before others noticed how distorted she was.

The young woman whirled around to face her and her piercing black eyes came in contact with hers. "Where is he?" she finally managed. Her voice was small, her face was pale and she seemed to be running out of breath. Whether it was the years of looking after Orihime or the newly created motherly instinct, Rangiku suddenly felt compassionate about her. There was no doubt who 'he' was, and her presence here meant only one thing.

"Hello…" she began "I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, one of the associates of this firm. Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Shiro…" Karin began, then closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath.

"Of course. He's not here at present, but…we expect him to come pretty soon…." She forced a smile "Please step into my office and wait for him, I'm sure it wouldn't take long. Shunshui-san, please go back to your office. Kiyone-chan, when Hitsugaya-san comes by, please tell him that Kurosaki Karin-san is waiting for him in my office, thank you…." With that, she followed the young woman in the room and closed the door.

As Karin looked around the office, Rangiku took a few deep breaths before she turned towards her guest with a smile. "Please, have a seat. Can I offer you anything? A glass of water? Some tea? Coffee?"

"No, thank you." Her guest replied, looking at her. How different she looked from the picture she had seen….how different she was from the beaming young mother in the café…Her skin was so worn it looked like parchment. There were dark circles under her eyes and there wasn't a single drop of blood on her face-even her lips were ashen, pale, lifeless. And no baby, Rangiku realized when she noticed the way her oversized shirt fell down her bony shoulders. Kurosaki Karin was a shadow of herself.

Suddenly, she said: "He told you everything, didn't he? Shiro-kun."

"Huh…"

"You knew my name. You know who I am." The mortification washed over her like a tidal wave. Her voice died in her throat as she wrestled for an explanation when Karin herself gave her one "I'm not surprised he sought help. Seeing how things are, I might need a shrink myself."

"Now, now…" Rangiku smiled weakly "I'm sure things aren't that bad."

"Oh, no. They're worse." The young woman sighed "But you don't know the half of it. I suppose he told you about the car crash, and that I lost all my memories of him after the coma I went through…" she paused, as if waiting for a confirmation.

"Yes. He told me." She nodded, although speaking the words was so difficult it hurt

"And, of course, he told you about all that bullshit my father and elder brother did when I woke up. They told him to stay away from me, the heartless bastards. And then they made up all that shit about me being alone in the car and that I never lost Shiro's baby. Then, my entire life turned into one big speed-date! They kept encouraging me to meet guys, and then when…when I was proposed to…they nearly shoved me in the church, with the wedding permission and a cake. And today, I was…making dinner, when the memories all flooded back…it was horrifying, and my jackass father just made me drink sedatives and locked me in my room!"

"Hitsugaya-san said he felt horrible for…what happened. He thought that the accident was his entire fault, and…he really believed your father and brother told him that if he tried to bring your memories back, it would only worsen things for you."

"Yeah. When I was finally calm, my old man tried to convince me that he was doing this for my own good. Bastards. Do you know what it feels like to have all these memories back? It makes you feel like you're still living in your past, that…nothing changed. And suddenly, you're surrounded by strangers, and they thrust upon you a husband and a child that they say are…yours. I couldn't listen to them. I couldn't even look at that baby! I couldn't bring myself to believe it was mine."

"So…you decided to look for Hitsugaya-san yourself."

"Yeah. I can't understand why should he listen to my old man, but given how much the guy believes the world lies on his shoulders, it's not a surprise that he felt like he did it to me. But let's say I'm not mad because my father and Ichigo chased Shiro away. It's normal that they wouldn't like anyone trying to take their precious soccer star away. Why did they do this to me, then? Knowing how I felt, knowing what connected me and Toushiro, how could they do something like this to me?"

"Of course, you are right…" Matsumoto tried to reason "Given how things worked up, it would've been better if you recuperated slowly and carefully, instead of having all these…emotions and memories coming back all of the sudden to you. But...from your father's point of view, and your brother's as well, the risks to your health would've appeared too great for them to attempt to bring them to you. For a person in your condition, the stress and negative emotions could've been dire."

"Yeah, but…this isn't about my health, Matsumoto-san. It's about the Kurosaki curse. The pride. Maybe all doctors get it."

"What curse?"

"The same thing that makes them selfishly disregard the feelings of others-their freaking pride. They can't stand the thought that they are not right, it's only their opinion that matters and that should be taken into consideration. The thought that it might not be like this makes them sick, and they totally go against anyone who dares say the opposite."

"That's a very…drastic opinion, Karin-san."

"It's true." She sighed "And I feel…horrible. It's one thing pulling stunts like this on their patients and another-on me! To think I'm married to a guy I can't even look at because whenever I compare him with Shiro, I feel sick. Emotionally and physically violated. I can't even hold my child because I'm afraid of it. I don't even know where it came from. I can't begin to comprehend why Shiro left me like this." Turning around, her eyes shined with a strange gleam. Matsumoto involuntarily shrank back in her seat "Did he tell you? The real reasons he left? Did he share them with you? Please, if you know anything at all, TELL ME!"

OH, gods…Rangiku thought, why are you punishing me like this? She didn't like the direction this conversation was taking. Oh, Lord, if Karin pressed her, what would she say? Could she possibly tell her that Hitsugaya thought that she didn't want him? That she had hated being pregnant with his child? Would she believe her? The girl still thought herself in love with him. What if she totally rejected what she said? What if her brain, already brimming over with information and anxiety, completely shut off if she tried feeding it more facts?

To say that the situation was delicate was an understatement. What Karin needed now was peace and relaxation, not another shock. She needed time to let her mind roam free and think things over on a clearer head. Only then could she see things in their real light and accept them. Right now, she was too excited even to think straight. Surely, when she took the time to rest, she would be ready to face the fact that her life had changed and she would have to change with it.

Question was, how?

"Karin-san…I may not be a certified psychiatrist, but I'm a councilor and whatever is shared with me must stay a secret."

Oh, why wasn't there a nicer way to say it? Her expression was suddenly so vulnerable and hurt, as if she'd refused her the only light in a dark night. God, how much she hated herself!

"But…I thought that only confessors and psychiatrists were allowed not to tell what has been told to them." She began slowly, as she advanced towards her "Why won't you tell me?"

"Karin-san, what he told me is very personal. Would you like it if your personal life is told to everyone and anyone?"

* * *

While Matsumoto was bravely fighting to maintain her composure, Hitsugaya, already on his toes thanks to his girlfriend's recent condition, had had enough when she didn't answer her phone for three hours in a roll. His schedule for the day was very busy, especially with Momo's organization abilities, that had him in three different meetings at the same time, but when he saw that neither his messages had been answered, nor his calls-returned, he was quick to jump in the car and drive towards Rangiku's office.

The terrible scenarios in his head were in full swing by the time he finally pulled over at the parking lot and he forwent the elevator in favor of the stairs (a bad choice because it only slowed him down more). By the time he reached her floor, he couldn't breathe from exhaustion, and yet he continued to her office. Perhaps he should've taken notice of Kiyone's pale face, and the way Kyoraku tried stopping him from going to Rangiku, but he was so preoccupied he just marched straight into the office…

And nearly had a heart attack. It's a ghost, he thought, I'm going mad, I'm hallucinating!

But the vision, just to prove him wrong, cried "Shiro-kun!" and threw herself into his embrace, crashing heavily against him. Teal eyes went wide with shock as he looked between Karin and Rangiku, and the solemn expression of the older woman's face told him all what he needed to know.

As if on cue, loud voices were heard outside and a second later Karin's father and elder brother completed the havoc. Rangiku suppressed the urge to cover her ears as the entire Kurosaki family seemed to start a shouting festival in her office. Accusations, pleads, bitter repercussions resounded in the room and she felt herself become more sick by the second. Luckily, Toushiro quickly understood it and out screamed them all:

"That's IT!" miraculously, everyone went quiet. "Will somebody PLEASE explain what is going on here? Preferably, in a normal tone."

"Shiro-kun!" Karin sobbed, burying her face into his shirt "Shiro-kun…"

"Karin, please…" her brother tried to reason "Don't make a scene, we're not at home…"

"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TALK TO ME ABOUT SCENES, AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"

"We were trying to protect you!"

"QUIET!" Toushiro yelled, and felt his knees going week. Karin was here. She remembered. And she had met Rangiku. Good God! His eyes turned towards the ginger-haired woman, but she had turned towards the window, her face unreadable. "Karin-san, please, relax. We will talk, but let us not bother Rangiku-san."

"Please don't leave me alone!" She shrieked, clinging onto his arm "Please, Shiro-kun!"

"You should do as she says, Hitsugaya-kun." Rangiku spoke in a dangerously even voice "I believe she has been through quite a lot."

"Old man, take Shiro and Karin home." The orange haired boy said

"Alright, alright. Come along, kids…." Isshin said, leading them out. Hitsugaya threw a desperate glance at Rangiku, but she only sighed and let out a small smile, before the door closed and she allowed herself to sigh wearily.

* * *

It wasn't long, however, until she realized that Karin's brother was still in the room. She looked up at him-Kurosaki Ichigo looked at her embarrassingly, as if he'd been caught by him mother with his hand in the cookie jar. Before, she would've found this endearing, but since she was pregnant, tired and very likely to end up without a boyfriend, she was not in a hurry to feel cozy with any member of the male gender right now. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, and…"

"Matsumoto Rangiku. Delighted, Kurosaki-kun, that you would stay behind, but I think Karin-san would need to yell at you as well."

"I know. I…er…" he sighed "I remember seeing you with him in the café a few months back. You're his girlfriend, aren't you?"

Rangiku sighed-where, oh where was Nanao when she needed to be frank with someone? "For all intents and purposes, although I don't think your sister will have it that way."

"Now, now, she's married." He laughed, although it was short-lived. Soon, he slipped back into embarrassing silence. "I…er…wanted to apologize…for her behavior. She must've tired you."

"Luckily, she does not consider me a rival yet…" she said with an uncharacteristic sarcasm lacing in her voice "She just told me how horrible she felt because you deceived her."

"Ah, hell!" he sighed, sitting down on a chair "I'm sorry you had to go through this. I honestly never thought…but you know everything, right? Toushiro told you."

"Yes, he did." Rangiku spoke, and as she did so she felt anger welling into her "He told me about the accident, about how guilty he felt, about the days he stayed by her bedside and how you chased him away when she woke up without a memory. And your sister told me how unhappy she is, how guilty she feels for forgetting her life and the child she lost and how angry she is because you helped her to; how she cannot recognize her baby as her own and how she cannot stand the sight of her husband…Tell me, didn't the neurosurgeons you consulted on this matter tell you of the possibility of the memories coming back?"

Ichigo sighed and hung his head low. "I'm sorry, Matsumoto-san. I honestly didn't expect that she would go ballistic. Especially on somebody who is not involved in this in any way."

"She needed somebody to talk to. Upon finding none in her family, she turned to me." _Why am I defending her?_ A voice within her called. _She's very likely to steal my boyfriend and leave my child without a father because she's an ambitious, good-for nothing bitch! _

_Where did THAT come from?_ She marveled, taking a deep breath.

But really, this was all her doing. If she had only listened to Nanao and didn't dig in Hitsugaya-san's past, she wouldn't be in this mess. If she didn't stick her nose into his business, she'd never wind up pregnant, in love, and in such a danger to lose her everything like she was now. She felt sick, truly, utterly sick, because what happened was something she'd brought on herself and she could've prevented it, she could've spared herself the pain of getting abandoned again.

And this time, this time an innocent creature was going to suffer as well because there was no way that Toushiro was going to miss out on such an opportunity. He'd gone crazy because of the glasses, it was obvious she still was in his heart. Rangiku never imagined that she'd be thinking these things, being a person with such a light and easy disposition. But…for Christ's sake, she couldn't handle it. The fact that Karin still felt for him was almost too convenient, especially when she had told him she hated him. She could blame it on the alcohol, on the stress, on the pregnancy, and he'd be fine with it. She'd divorce her husband and leave the child to his care just to be with Toushiro and it would be fine with him, as long as Karin was there and she loved him.

It was all too clearly coming into her mind, and she couldn't help but clasp her hands over her mouth to stop the incoming sobs. Nobody mattered. Not Karin's husband, not her child, not her family, not even Rangiku herself. It all faded in comparison to the love between those two, the love that had forced her out of the selective amnesia and placed so many guilt-ridding circumstances in the picture. It hurt! It hurt because his hands had come up around her too easily, it hurt because he'd comforted her so quickly, it hurt because he never asked questions….What was more, it broke her heart because it meant that she'd never really stood a chance to stay permanently in his heart. Even though she was different from Karin, even though he swore he loved her, ultimately, she'd been nothing but a replacement for the real one.

Somebody was yelling. Matsumoto only saw a glimpse of orange and a second later, she collapsed on the desk with exhaustion.

* * *

A/N-Yes, I am horrible for keeping so long, and I have to apologize again, because I won't be able to update for another month. Sorry! But lately I was so depressed I actually wrote a requiem to my childhood (hyperlink in my profile to Fiction Press will show that one to you).

On a happier note, I'm doing a Hisagi/Isane fic to amend myself for deleting some of my old stories, and...it's sort of a sidestory to this one. I hope you'll give it a look (that is, if you weren't so angry with me you decided to skip on the author's note...again)


	24. Back with a vengeance

**

* * *

**

Back with a vengeance

Nanao stretched slowly, before resuming her task of writing down the budget for the next year. It was slow, painful task that required her full attention and had her confided in her room for the last three days, with only coffee to power her up and restless, uneasy cat naps that stopped her mind from turning into a mixture of numbers. Just in order to save herself from distractions, she pulled the plug on her Internet cable, isolating herself wholly from any messages from Rangiku, and mercifully, any sneaky e-mails from Aoi Mitsuko who just couldn't contain her raging, jealous self even when her rival was on the other end of the globe.

But as time progressed, she found herself stopping more and more for breaks, looking out the window and wondering why the hell had her life turned out so difficult. It was fun, the fact that she got to travel, even though she spent the better part of her exile in Spain locked up in her bedroom doing all the work she was supposed to be doing in her spacious office back in Japan. Love was supposed to make people happy, so why was she doing this again?

Oh, right, because of the fiancée he swore he didn't care for, and the mother that wanted to help them out. She thought that if she was away, Shun would soon realize his feelings, make one of those grand gestures that he was so famous for and obliterate Aoi Mitsuko once and for all. But the more this plan proceeded, the more Nanao started to feel like she was being kept away so that her company might collapse and she'd have no employees to worry about. Ever since she'd come in Barcelona, she'd barely gone out to see the famous cathedral and other sights, so busy she'd been keeping up with her share of documents. Actually, safe for a quick jog to the supermarket, her life was confided between those four walls (well, three, since the last one was a window that lead to the fire escape).

She wanted some action. She needed it. Whether it was running or basketball or even breathing fresh air, she had to get away. But…numbers still called for her, and she needed to finish this before Rangiku threw a fit.

Or, at least, that was the original plan.

"Nanao! Nanao!" A loud voice came from the corridor a second later a tall, busty girl with red hair crashed through the door and into her bedroom. It was like college all over again, and Nanao was finding out that it wasn't all that bad that she got to socialize with university students. They made life seem much more real, and the fact that you shared their lifestyle made you feel even more better because you know you were once a part of it all and can be a part of it again, and that you're not defined by what you ARE now, but by what you have been also, because it was what made you the person you are and will be. It was a small sort of comfort to her, because it also proved her theory that if Kyoraku Shunsui was a notorious womanizer in the past, what the hell stops him from being one right now.

Of course, she conveniently forgot to ask herself the better question, A.K.A. what makes ME any different from all those other women? A question that Carmen, the red-headed, bouncy Japanese Literature sophomore that spent more time with her than anyone else seemed to invoke every time she came over, and tonight, as it turned out, was the last time she would too, before all of Nanao's defenses went down the drain.

"Nanao, there's a…a…"

"Guy?" she prompted, since a guy was always the starter of every conversation with Carmen. That's why she was so relaxed, waiting for her to catch her breath and tell her whether she had been dumped/picked up/cheated on while fate loomed in the hallway

"A guy to see you." She breathed

"Me?"

"Yeah! Nanao, why didn't you tell us you were married!" Carmen squeaked, jumping back on her feet and glaring at the ebony-haired woman.

"Married? Carmen, are you sure you're not mistaken?" Nanao asked, wondering how on earth could've this happened

"Don't lie to me! He asked for his Nanao-chan and knew your name, Ise. And he's tall and broad-shouldered and handsome as hell!"

By that time Nanao had already managed to piece the information together, but apparently, too much numbers and little rational thinking had finally done her in, because in an uncharacteristic fit of panic, she shut the computer and leapt out of the window, straight into the fire escape.

_This is stupid_, she thought as she raced down. _I was expecting this. He was supposed to come to me. So this proves that his mother was right and I'm different and he lo….No, no, no, he's just onto his little games again, I know he is. Coming to Spain is nothing. By the time he gets me back to Japan, Aoi-san would destroy the company and then…Gods, what am I doing, I'm in my God Damn Socks! _

Luckily for her socks, she didn't have a chance to hit the ground because as she was on the ground floor and prepared to jump down from the stairs when, instead of making contact with the asphalt of the sidewalk, she was wrapped up in a warm pair of arms and a second later she found herself dangling from the embrace of no other than Kyoraku Shunsui.

She tried to be reasonable. Her hands wrapped around his shoulders only because she didn't want them both to lose balance and fall on the ground. Both of them. Us. She was thinking in plural. Jesus!

_He's changed_, she noted, _even if it was just for a month, he's changed_. His hair was still as unkempt as she remembered it, but it seemed to have lost its sheen. His shirt was outrageously pink, but wrinkled. He looked more unruly than ever but she still clung onto him, inhaling the familiar, earthy scent deeply with an almost troubling sense of relief.

His socks were mismatched. One of his shoes had become undone. A beat-up, brown bad was dropped near his feet and an airplane pass dangled from it.

"You've changed, Nanao-chan." His voice, almost sadly, rumbled in her ear and for the first time in a while she became brutally aware of the truth. She had changed. She'd become wry, powerless, tired. She hung from his arms like a rag doll, and felt strangely like one too.

Slowly, she pulled away and looked at him. He also looked tired, although in his case it was probably more about too much work than he was used to and less lovesickness, something he was bound to be used to. Ironically, in her case, the roles were reversed. But at this time, it seemed almost unfair because he looked more crashed than her, like a kicked puppy that gives you the "Why'd you do that?" glance.

"Why'd you leave, Nanao?" his eyes seemed to ask, and she suddenly felt an urge to hug him. However, she braced herself and said, albeit politely:

"Can you please put me down now?"

"No." he replied in the same deadly even voice, before swinging her into a more comfortably position over one of his shoulders and carrying her inside. "So strange and yet so predictable, Nanao-chan. You should be more careful when you're stampeding down the stairs, you could hurt your pretty little legs."

"Stop it!" she commanded, but he didn't do so until he reached her room, smiled a startled Carmen away, and plopped her down on the bed. Nanao glared up at him while he closed the door, and put his bag down on the ground. For a second, his eyes scanned the closet of a room before they met hers, and a second later he was crushing her against his body again, his lips descending on hers a lot more fiercely, a lot more desperately than she ever remembered.

Actually, it was the first time she wasn't initiating the kiss (although the first two times he'd provoked her into it), and she felt herself almost terrified by the sheer power of it. He controlled her. He missed her. He didn't want to let her go. So many things were said in just one kiss and she felt her treacherous legs give out gladly underneath her in send them tumbling back down on her bed, missing the closed laptop by an inch and knocking over a pile of folders. Luckily for them (or unluckily, however one may see it), the position made them run out of air a lot faster than they would have and he soon braced himself on his elbows to give them both some breathing room. Both were red, but not in a good way, and rumpled, definitely not in a good way, and yet there was a deeper meaning to it. She knew it. There had to be.

She just didn't know it yet.

Which is why his next words caused her to flinch for the next twelve or so hours. "Rangiku is sick. We need you back."

* * *

The theme for this year was apparently, drastic changes. And Nanao really didn't take part in any of them. She was in her habitat, then was presented to a change in it (Shunsui, Mitsuko, Shunsui's mother and then Shunsui again), she was forced to make a change in the said habitat and she coped with it, like in some sick science movie. Just like now-her luggage, not much to begin with, was gathered up in less than two hours, she was given a ticket back to Japan and after saying a hasty goodbye to Carmen and the other girls (We'll write every spare minute we have!), was driven to the airport in a taxi, squashed between her bags and Shunsui, whose offer to sit in his lap and save space was gracelessly rejected. Why? Because, since that horrible party a few months back, Nanao felt like she wanted something to happen for the first time.

Airport security and check-in aside, she actually felt energized that she would go back to Japan. Even though her absence had involuntarily caused her best friend's illness and had actually been a real waste of time, it had brought her to a realization that she wouldn't have gotten being too busy running away like a scared rabbit. And as she quickly applied make up and twisted her hair into its usual tight knot on her neck, Nanao couldn't help but agree on the fact that she'd been going on about this the wrong way. This had to change.

However, she waited until she was on the plane, miles in the air, lounging in her first-class seat (courtesy to the Kyoraku family connections), into the near-empty lounge with Shunsui at an arm's-length from her. She needed the quasi privacy to engage in the conversation she should have had with him a long time ago. So why was it so hard?

Well…maybe because he was too busy looking at her like a starving man looks and fresh bread. But she wouldn't be swelled by this. Nope. Not too much, anyway.

"Why?" it seemed like the appropriate way to begin something like that, especially when a lot of the things she wanted to ask him began with why. Why did he tell her Rangiku was ill before saying that they needed her? Because he thought that the company was more important than her or vice versa? Because she needed to know what horrible person she was for abandoning her friend when she was on the verge of a meltdown because she was suffering from a love crisis as well?

Well, who could blame her?

"I need you. Isn't that a good enough reason?" he replied in his deep voice "I can tell you a lot more, my Nanao-chan, but in fact I was so relieved to finally see you again that I've actually become serious."

She met the statement with silence.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" he asked, looking more like a kicked puppy than ever, which was a miracle in the making

"No, that's not what I wanted." Nanao snapped "It's ridiculous that you should think it's what I wanted. It's hypocritical of me to say this is ridiculous because you couldn't have known what I wanted, because I didn't know what I wanted myself. I might have thought I wanted stability, clarity, honesty, and other great things, but the truth is that I've always wanted to let my hair down and go bitch on somebody's ass just to get a kick out of it."

"Well, I don't know about the last part, but you could always let your hair down around me…" he said, reaching over to pull out the clasp that held her locks back, only to get smacked over the palm "Ouch! You wound me, Nanao-chan!"

"Finally, some normality." She breathed, before looking at him "So I guess you figured it out, didn't you."

"Figured what out?"

"That your mother was beat by Mitsuko and heard our whole conversation, and came the next day with the proposition with this ridiculous trip to Spain in order to get you to make some grand gesture, and when you couldn't reach me you decided that the only way to get me back to the company was by doing the grand gesture and then, not wasting much time, get me back to Japan."

He stared at her, dumbly.

"Can you deny it?" she asked, wondering whether she could blame his mother's idea on him too

"Actually, I can." He replied, reaching over to ruffle her hair "I came because I couldn't stand a minute without you, but you're probably so suspicious that you wouldn't believe me until I told you all that happened after you left."

And with that, he proceeded on laying out all the things that happened, from various sources-himself, Rangiku, the secretaries, conversations he'd eavesdropped on because it was his nature, and slowly revealed to her everything that Rangiku could've told her, should've told her and would've told her, had she been there. Apparently, long distance enhances love but severs friendships that had been there since middle school. Or perhaps long distance plus love plus an emotional crisis all adds up to distancing oneself from people you care about most, when they most need you. Nanao felt herself visibly shrink at the thought that three days ago, when she'd been too busy dealing with the heat, Kurosaki Karin had appeared in the office as if by the command of some evil fairy to destroy all happiness for Rangiku.

It was horrible on so many levels and still her face was straight when he finished talking.

"Nanao?" Shunsui asked, obviously expecting her to blow up any second now

"Alright…" she said as she slowly took her glasses off "I'm finished. I'm horrible."

"Nanao-chan…"

"Please don't call me that!" she huffed, falling back in her chair "I'm exhausted. Tired. Deflated. A part of me wants to curl up under some warm blanket and stay there until I'm blissfully unaware of anything. Because you know, I'm not such a person. This…impulsive, wild, jumping to decisions person you meat and probably fell in love with is nothing but a variety of my character, born because of you, because you provoked me into impulsiveness. I'm usually much, much more dull and stick-up-the-ass than you can imagine and…"

"Nanao, whatever roles you may want to take, I'll always be there to hear them out." He replied warmly, reaching over to squeeze her hand. Surprisingly, she didn't pull away. Somehow, his words made her feel warm. She squeezed his hand back.

"Then will you stop looking at me as if you're expecting me to lash out on you?" she asked, eyebrows quirking

"Me? I was too busy being mesmerized by your eyes!" he exclaimed theatrically "But in all seriousness, Nanao-_chan_, knowing that wild, impulsive side of yours that I inspired into birth, why shouldn't I expect vehemence? I was almost looking forward to your tears, because I wanted a good excuse to hold you, and squeeze you and…"

"Say no more!" Nanao laughed "I know what I led you to think I am. But you know what? This isn't the real me. At least…not always. This isn't the person you'll wake up to find making breakfast in the kitchen or bring beagles to work or have lunch with whenever you manage to dig me out of every mess you've made, if you're stupid enough to make a life around me. We don't run by the same clock, Shunsui. You have it until your mid thirties to pick a bride before your family thrusts upon you Aoi Mitsuko, regardless of your decisions. I don't know how much time before that deadline will you dedicate to knowing the rest of me and whether you will not regret your decision afterwards. I don't even know if you want to marry me at all. Right now, I can only think that I've been running from risk for far too long, and now I'll face it. Starting with the paperwork."

"I'd love that. But…what about Rangiku? I thought that you'd be upset…" he began

"Make no mistake, I am upset." She replied "What's more, I hate myself for being such a coward because Rangiku suffered a lot more than me this year, first when Gin and the others left off towards the Bahamas, and then when she met Hitsugaya-kun. I was selfish all this time, thinking that just because I was fooled by a good act, I was the one that had it worst. I was wrong, and now she's suffering because I didn't offer her an adequate support when she needed it most, and for that I am greatly upset. But you see, I cannot direct this self-loathing in any physical way, so you should not be so surprised." She sighed

"Tousen broke your heart, didn't he, Nanao?" Shunsui sighed, his eyes clouding with unspoken anger

"Just for a little while. I always told myself that his hiding his true nature so well is no excuse, but actually, it is. Rangiku was right when she told me that she was the one to take on more of the blame, because she knew exactly what Ichimaru Gin was and turned a deaf ear to his misdoings. But she never looked like it, and I thought…Gods, how stupid." She sighed "To think I was so selfish to believe that I was the only miserable one. I, who had memories that could give me refuge. Memories that could help me escape reality. Rangiku wasn't given this luxury. Her past is always thrust up in her face, no matter what."

"It's better that you didn't seek refuge, Nanao-chan." He replied "If you had, you'd turn into someone like Hitsugaya-kun's secretary. Momo-chan is cute, but her fits are rather worrying sometimes. You better keep a touch with reality, Nanao."

"I know." She replied, before carefully getting up and taking the place by his side, after she'd removed the armrest that separated them and cuddled into his embrace "However, my first order of business when I return will be Aoi-san."

"You're going to face her?" he asked, incredulously

"If she thinks she can hold onto a promise made so long ago, she's even more out of touch with reality that even Momo." Nanao replied, before moving up to give him a kiss on the lips.

* * *

Toushiro felt a need to drag his feet when he finally made it to his apartment, but he couldn't stop yet. For the last nightmarish three days, after all those talks and tears and outbursts, the prospect of the incoming conversation had been the worst trifle of them all. The feeling in his chest, a mixture of dread, pain, horror and insecurity, and the plain desire that he was just left alone, all collided into a horrible mess.

With all that, it wasn't surprising that he felt a little relieved when he found his place absolutely empty, but when he opened the drawers and wardrobes and didn't find anything of Rangiku's, he got worried. What if she'd done something stupid?

As if to spare his poor nerves, she had left a note in his sock drawer, the one place, according to her, where the maid wouldn't look and throw out the notes she takes for unimportant trash. At first he expected it to contain some sort of bitter repercussions, ending, of course, with the "I'm moving back to my old place", but to his surprise the note was actually a full sheet of paper, out of which ¾ were black with Rangiku's sloppy scrawl.

To tell the truth, he was more worried about that then if it was the rant she wanted to throw him, but had been too tired to give. Still, he peeled it open and started to read.

"_Toushiro,_

_I'm back at my old place, and all my things are with me._

_I wanted to tell you this because I thought that it was the proper way to start this. If I didn't, you'd go over the entire letter, looking for some clue as to whether I'm safe and sound, or decided to slit my wrists instead, thus skimming over all the things I wanted you to know. So here I am, with my ten suitcases, after waiting and waiting and waiting for you. I even arranged everything I could remember back to the way it used to be. Am I effacing all traces of my existence? Maybe. _

_Remember how after the infamous glass fight you didn't speak to me for a whole day? Did it occur strange to you that I left you alone? That I didn't pester you with my flamboyance, demanding to know the answer and cure the illness with smiles? A part of me did it because I really did wonder if I was just a replacement for Karin (forgive me for bringing her up in the third paragraph), but another one acted on the 'treat them as you want them to treat you' tactic, meaning that I let you be because I usually want others to let me be as well. Right now, it is almost the same. I will not claim or deny anything. I cannot imagine what are you feeling right now. I can only account for my own feelings, and I feel that I should leave you alone. _

_I heard Karin-san's position on this matter, and while there are impediments to renewing your relationship, nowadays they are not insuperable. She wants to be with you, and I cannot do anything about it, because ultimately, it depends on you whether you'll try to be back with her or you'll let her move on. All I can do is remove myself from sight and let you take this decision on your own head._

_Nietzsche says that all philosophers make the same great mistake-they judge men using their contemporaries. In other words, their definition of men as the 'Only truthful constant' is valid for only a short period of time, before society changes. Like those philosophers, I wish that what is now is the only thing that matters. Like them, I want our relationship to be. You were ready to leave Karin in the past and make a life with me, and I cannot question the truthfulness of those feelings. Mine stand-I love you, and want to be with you. There is so much, so very much that I want to say, that I want to share with you, but I cannot, until you've taken this decision._

_By yourself._

_I'm waiting…please don't let me wait too long,_

_Love,_

_Rangiku"_

A/N-I'm back. Hopefully, for good. Thanks for all the reviews and support, minna! I hope you're happy now.

* * *


	25. Rehab

**Rehab**

She'd never felt so tired in her entire life. Every bone in her body weighted like lead and she barely had the energy to keep her eyes open. Rangiku registered, off-handedly, that Kurosaki Ichigo caught her before she fell face down on the desk, and then helped her onto the couch.

It was just malnourishment, he said, she had to keep better track of her liquids, but it was pretty obvious what had really caused it. Kiyone and Shunsui took care of the office while the orange-headed young man drove Rangiku to her home. From there, between the time he left her and Kiyone came, there was a black gap. Later, when they managed to get some food into her, they explained to her that she mostly, slept, but she didn't buy it. Her body settled into a state of worry that lasted until she had another pregnancy test to confirm everything was alright.

After the initial shock settled in, her body started working at full speed. She didn't bother herself with questions like where is Tousiro and what was he doing with Karin. She could guess herself what was happening, and she had an idea of what to do. Mobilizing Kiyone as her little helper, she had her things moved back into her place, and the landlord informed in order to get the heat and water working again before you could say "Saturday".

There was no point in trying to act like she was alright with Karin's re-appearance. Especially when a part of her, a HUGE part of her, not including the boobs, screamed that this was unfair, that she had had her turn, and that after telling Toushiro she didn't want him, and his baby, to tie her down, she had no right to even get into a ten meter radius of him. However, Rangiku knew better than to point this out to HIM, especially since it really wasn't his fault that his (former) girlfriend had a (haha) selective memory. Whenever they met, he wouldn't need to hear tart comments and rancid suggestions from her, which was exactly why she needed to get the hell away from him before he came back and gushed about how sweet Karin had been.

Until she was ready to meet such musings with grace, that is. She couldn't avoid him forever. Especially with a baby along the way. That's why she paid special attention to sound professional and objective in the note she left, trying not to hurt his feelings while conveying hers. It was…difficult.

The rest of her time, between her moving out and Nanao's arrival (God bless Shunsui a thousand times), she spend sleeping or watching TV, chewing on breadsticks because they were the only thing her stomach could handle at the moment. Her body seemed to regress into a compact pile of laziness, settling around the baby like a protective cocoon. While she attempted avoiding all the Sarah Michelle Gellar movies (in an attempt not to invoke bittersweet memories), and filled her time with illogical actions and cavity-sweet chick flicks, her pain was easier to ignore. The sugar and adrenalin lulled her into a half-slumber and she successfully stopped thinking about anything and anyone, especially Toushiro….or Karin.

Usually, at such times Nanao would be sitting by the end of the bed, offering her sobriety as a cure for all the emotional bullshit. In school, they were dubbed Eleanor and Marianne, over the respective heroines of "Sense and sensibility", and even now, only Nanao could help her out of the emotional duress. Orihime came over, but she and Grimmjaw were too busy keeping up with assignments to give her their full attention, and even when they did come, her devastated looks discouraged kitty-chan (a weird endearment she'd given her future brother in law) from arguing her into feeling better.

Honestly, she couldn't blame them. It was already brave enough of Orihime not only to study a hard subject with little to none practical appliance (In other words, music doesn't put bread on the table), but she actually had the guts to marry someone who is working in the same field. Now the two had to work extra hard to start up, and Rangiku knew better than to offer them money. But honestly, she needed to be consoled, and there was nobody around to help her!

By the time her dearest Nan-chan managed to get to her, she had already wheeled by a few ideas about what to do with her life. The weirdest one was leaving for the Bahamas in order to find the only other male you've ever met who has a naturally white hair. The least weirdest was going to Toushiro and settling things immediately. None of them were relevant. None of them were possible.

And Rangiku felt trapped. When Nanao walked into the apartment, the strawberry blond leapt to greet her, it was as if it was the only stimuli to get her out of bed, she immediately started to pace. And she continued to pace, too, even though she knew well enough that it was dangerous in her condition. And in a very Rangiku-like manner, she started telling the events in an absolutely haphazard way.

"Toushiro and I fought over the glasses." She said.

"Umm…ok…." Nanao drawled

"That was after my car needed repairs, you see, and you left, and he offered me to move in with him."

"O-k…"

"And Karin's memories returned…"

"Shunsui told me about it."

"And we were about to move in together to a new place, you see, because he still can't completely shake the memory of her…"

"Oh…"

"And now I'm pregnant…"

"I se-you WHAT?!" Nanao leapt to her feet, grabbed Rangiku by the hands and made her sit down "Did you just say _pregnant_?!"

"It's not contagious, Nan-chan, relax." Matsumoto batter her hands away and got up again "As I was saying…"

"No, as I was saying, Rangiku, aren't you supposed to take it easy? Sit down, I'll get you a glass of water…"

"I've been sitting these last two days, and I'm going bananas, Nanao!" she groaned and covered her face with her arms "Why is it so damn hard? I can't even get my facts straight."

"If you're pregnant, shouldn't Hitsugaya-kun be with you?" her friend asked, placing a glass of water in front of her "Where is he, anyway?"

"Probably with Karin and her family. You should've seen her, Nanao, she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown when he came to my office. She practically wept when she saw him, and I couldn't really do anything but to let them go. Just before he came, she was telling me how horrible she felt for that child she lost and how she couldn't even look at her own family now, knowing that she created it only because her father and brother urged her to."

"But surely, he's called…"

"No, and I moved out of his place."

"Rangiku…" Nanao shook her head wearily, before taking both her friend's hands and sitting next to her "Why would you do that?"

"Why to you think!" she exclaimed, leaping to her feet once more "Suddenly, his former beloved makes a dramatic entrance to his life, claiming that everything was a mistake and she still wanted him. Why not? He's not the one with a family right now, the only one with regrets should be Karin when she realizes she's sorry for her baby boy. How can one resist the temptation?"

"But does he know? Does he know you're pregnant?"

"I didn't have a chance to tell him. I found out the exact same day when Karin made an appearance in the office."

"How could you?!" Nanao exclaimed "Knowing what's going on, how could you not tell him!"

"When, Nanao? While his former girlfriend was weeping in his arms, perhaps? Should I have shouted over, 'Hey, Shiro, you knocked me up!'? Or maybe called him, or, better yet, left him a text? How would that change the situation, Nanao? Moreover, how could it make it any better? I can't be around him to offer support because sooner or later, I'll let my feelings crack by and he'd have both me and Karin to take care of. Isn't it better to take away one emotional deadweight for someone to make the better decision?"

"An emotional deadweight? He's your child's father!"

"What an advantage! Nanao, I can see what you're trying to pull off here, but this is all turning into one big accusing game. Karin accuses Toushiro for leaving her, he's accusing her for her amnesia, and I am, subconsciously, blaming him for her sudden regain of memories. We'll be losing our focus, pointing fingers at each other and getting mad because we're making each other's lives miserable! How's that supposed to help anyone?"

Nanao shook her head "And what are you going to do then?"

"Wait." Rangiku replied "And hope that things will work out for the best."

* * *

Ukitake frowned at the screen in front of him, and Nemu couldn't help thinking that something had gone terribly wrong. He'd been like that for a while, she could tell, and he hadn't even acknowledged her presence in the room until she politely coughed.

"Oh, Nemu-san." He gave her an off-handed glance, before looking back at the computer. "Thanks again for your help, I don't know what I would've done without this."

"Bad news?" she asked, sitting cross legged on the carpet and fidgeting slightly "You seem preoccupied."

"A little problem in Japan again, but luckily, Nanao-san is on it. She's really a good girl." Ukitake said, before putting the laptop away with a sigh "So, Nemu-san, what are we going to do today?"

"I looked over the internet and found out that the book I showed you some time before, Stormy Hearts, was made into a movie. Would you like us to watch it?" She asked, and for a split second he was overcome by the feeling that something was different. Had she done something with her hair? No, Ukitake though as his eyes zeroed a little lower, it's her clothes.

Her attire hadn't really struck him before, but now that he got a closer look at it, it was obvious it was different. Her once baggy shirt and jeans were replaced with a pair of skin tight shorts and a light violet camisole that really made her eye color stand out. She really needed to dress like this more often, he nodded to himself, it really suited her, especially when those clothes put an accent on her long, slim legs that seemed to go on forever.

Wait, wait, what? He slapped himself out of the reverie to find Nemu, who had apparently interpreted his previous nod as an agreement, leaning over him to find the movie on the laptop and play it. What was he doing? What was he _thinking_? He couldn't have possibly just thought that she had nice legs, right? As if to look for a confirmation, his eyes zeroed on the said limbs once more, but only found out only that he really had thought they were nice, and was thinking it once more.

_And why not_, a little part of his mind asked, _she's a woman that's entering her twenties, and you are way too young to be added to that group of people that no longer care about those kings of things._

_Am I insane?_ He wondered. How could've he just thought of something so wholly inappropriate, especially directed towards his protégée? The girl was left to his care because her mother thought that he would look after her well, and because she trusted him not to rob the cradle. Honestly, she was probably at least fifteen years younger than him, what was he doing thinking those things?

Meanwhile, the movie had began and Nemu had retreated to the safe haven of her chair, leaving him with more breathing room. He tried to follow the movie, but his eyes kept zapping towards the girl, taking in the details of her new look, and noting several other things.

She had pretty hands. Her braid was made like a fish bone. Her skin had acquired a golden glow thanks to the healthy walks out in the sun she made every day in the garden. Her new clothes showed off her curves quite well, and he found that he was giving them a _very_ approving look. And her legs…her legs…

WHAT WAS HE DOING?! He trued turning his attention to the screen, but just then they were playing the first meeting of the two characters. It didn't take much for him to judge that the film was a lousy one-the décor was the only thing they had bothered about, but the actor's play was just about on the same level as in a barbarian movie. The corny music played and the lights got unnecessarily dim for a country fair, as the hero stared dumbfounded at the heroine who, in a miniskirt no less, was giving him one of the sexiest versions of a catwalk ever seen. Before he could do anything about it, he felt himself suffocating.

"Ukitake-san?" Nemu's voice fluttered from afar, and a second later he felt her hand on his shoulder. Then, before he could stop himself, he fell sideways towards her.

A few minutes later he came to, and mercifully, that God awful movie was turned off. Nemu hadn't made a fuss, just put a compress on his head and was waiting patiently for him to revive.

"Are you alright?" She asked "Would you like me to get you a glass of water?"

"No, thanks, Nemu-san….I just….got dizzy." He said, slowly getting into a sitting position.

"You didn't like the movie?" she inquired, her eyes turned towards him intensely

"Why would you ask that?"

"It is either that, or you are suffering from a severe fever. Personally, I did not like the movie either, but it did not make me physically sick. I apologize if it has caused you severe discomfort, though…." She looked down at her hands

"That's ok, Nemu-san, I wasn't really suffering from that." He said, sitting up slowly "I'm sorry I frightened you."

"I wasn't frightened. But…thank you for caring anyway."

"I suppose we shouldn't watch this movie, it's a bad omen…" he said, half jokingly "The book wasn't all that good anyway."

"That's true." She nodded "It was full of grammar mistakes. And the plot didn't make much sense either. The only interesting thing there was the villain. I think…" she added after a short while "That if he were real, I would've fallen in love with him."

"If you don't mind me asking, Nemu-san, why did you like Richard so much?" Ukitake said, a little take aback by her statement "Make no mistake, I understand that compared to Ken, he really is amazing, but…aren't you too young to make such a definite statement."

"You mean too inexperienced?" She asked, a little sarcastically "I am not a child, Ukitake-san."

"I never said you are one." He smiled "But have you ever been in love? I can tell you, it's a pretty wild emotion. Someone like Richard would not be able to handle it. That's why he's the villain."

"But love is not always about carnal pleasures, right?" she exclaimed, her cheeks flushing suddenly "You need someone safe, someone you could rely on when you need help!"

"That's true, but in its most basic, love is desire." Didn't he know it "Yes, there is the respect, friendship, appreciation, but it's mostly about making the other person happy. Richard is an egoist. In spite of being an erudite, in spite of being Ken's superior in intelligence and gentlemanly behavior, he loves himself most in the world. No woman could love that."

Nemu pursed her lips slightly, before saying, slowly: "If you could associate yourself with a character from a book, Ukitake-san, who would you be?"

"A character from a book?" he asked, amused "Who would you suggest?"

"Colonel Brandon, from 'Sense and sensibility'." She replied without hesitation "You seem like the person that would stay faithful to his first love, even when she's long gone, and you would not hold grudges, focusing on making the present better than the past."

"Indeed." He laughed "You make a great association, Nemu-san. I, like Brandon, am also worn out in the field of love, and am very unlikely to find a woman that would make me as happy. The only difference is that I don't have a Marianne."

"I don't like Marianne." She said, almost as if she regretted it "She is too bipolar, too unbiased. Her emotions switch between love and hate and desperation in seconds time. I don't think I could ever be this fickle."

"I wouldn't say she is fickle. She is just a little too sensitive. There's nothing wrong with that." Ukitake smiled

"But compare her to Eleanor! She is sweet and sensitive too, but she is sensible, and handles herself with decorum through every hardship." She stated "If you were to choose between the sense and sensibility, which one would you choose?"

Ukitake became cautious. This game of what ifs was becoming slightly worrying, and he couldn't help but wonder where was she getting at. "Neither." He finally answered, in all truthfulness "I don't want a woman who does not wish to share her problems with me. It would only make up for trouble in the future."

For a while, neither said a thing. Nemu looked suspiciously interested in the pattern on his quilt, and Ukitake was looking at her face, wondering what had caused all these questions. When she didn't answer him, he sighed, long and wearily, and decided to end the suspense already:

"Nemu-san, why are you suddenly so interested about love? Did you perhaps find some boy that you like?"

"No!" he hasty answer said, but he knew better. Ho, boy, did he know better "I was just…just…wondering about something."

"What?" he asked. She fiddled with the hem of her shirt, clearly hesitating.

"Do you remember when we first met? I mean…of course you do, I just…that is…Back then, you gave me a very strong impression. You struck me as a very gentle person, and my mother has, no doubt, remarked on this on several occasions. I'm not blind, Ukitake-san. I know she asked you to talk to me because she sees that you inspire me to talk, and she probably presumes that I find a sort of father figure in you. That's not entirely wrong-I do look up to you. Perhaps more than either of you can imagine."

"Don't be offended, Nemu-san. She only wants the best for you." He tried to soothe her "And I'm not talking you out of any obligation. I truly enjoy your company."

"Naturally." She replied calmly "I would have never imagined that you were the type of person to do something they do not want to do. However, I…I asked you all these questions because I wanted to know what kind of woman you would love. Because…because I…really wanted to know what do men, real men fall in love with."

"Real men?"

"In a younger age, men don't usually have a type. I deduce that as they gain more experience in life, they come to love certain qualities in a woman. I know my father is like this, and my mother as well, and wanted to know from you what those are."

"Because…you are wondering about the reasons behind your parents' divorce?" he asked

"Amongst other things." She murmured "My father said that deep down, men like one thing, and they stay married to the women that have it. He also says that I don't have it, and that's why I'll never have anyone really fall in love with me."

At that point, she looked up at him and fixed him with her doe-like, unblinking stare, and he was damned if he didn't know what that meant. He wasn't sure, of course, but after so much time, a man just had a way to pick things out. Her topic of conversation, her interest in love novels, as well as her change of wardrobe all led to one thing-she had a crush on someone. And while it could've been anyone, her roundabout ways to ask him about his type of girl just was…obvious.

A part of him wanted to reach over, cup her face and caress it delicately. A part of him wanted to tell her 'I'd love a girl like you', and be ridiculously happy to see her eyes light up with hope. A part of him wanted to explore this feeling, to see where it would take him, where it would lead both of them. Maybe, just maybe, it would give him the courage he missed to finish his treatment and get better, for her, just for her. He would have loved to be in love again, to feel this blind devotion to one and only person, this possessiveness, this burning desire to be with her. Nemu was a wonderful girl, who deserved no less than the best, and perhaps he could put some effort into giving the best to her. A big part of him already loved her, and not just like a protégée. They could do it, if only he would make this teeny-tiny step that would push them into that direction.

But he wouldn't. His body was sick and tired-even though his emotions screamed for him to do it, his mind and body were against it. He doubted if he could find the energy to get out of the pit now, and his reason rebelled against the notion that someone like him could really earn the love of a girl like Nemu. Even if they managed to be together, somewhere, somehow, did he really have the right to tie her down to a walking corpse like him? Could their, he daren't say love, be enough to chase away both their demons?

Nemu kept looking up at him, imploring him for an answer, begging him to contradict her. All he could do is sigh and look down at the quilt. "I wouldn't know that, Nemu-san. I'm not made for love."

She took a deep breath, as if to say something, but then seemed to reconsider. After a short silence, she rose slowly and said: "I better leave you now. You are too tired, and doubtlessly, you'll want to gather up your energy. Good night."

The door closed, and he sank back into the pillows with a sigh. A part of him listened to her disappearing footsteps, still wanting to follow them, but another countered it: "It's for the best. You two would have to part eventually. It's wrong to play with her feelings, when she was entrusted to you."

"Then why does it feel so wrong?" he countered himself

* * *

A/N-Review, review, REVIEW!

* * *


	26. Burning

**Burning**

Hitsugaya fumbled with his car keys, while sitting in front of the Kurosaki home. Honestly, he didn't know what he was still doing here. He wanted to see Rangiku, to apologize for leaving her like this for two weeks, to hear what she wanted to tell him. Those weeks with Karin had been like being wrapped up in poison ivy-she never let him go, even when she slept. She didn't let her brother and father come near her, and when he tired reasoning with her, she covered her ears and screamed.

In the days before he met Rangiku, Toushiro had often found himself pinning over Karin. Not being the one to drink in company, he spent many nights with a wine bottle, dreaming of a day where she would return, say that she's sorry for everything that happened and they could, romantically, make every bad moment that happened go away and build up a new life together. People say that the bad memories fade with time and we forget how difficult it had been for us back then. Now, he was ready to agree with that.

What had they spoken of other than what happened to her after the accident? She kept telling him how used she felt after what happened, after he'd left her, probably trying to make him feel as horrible for letting her brother persuade him to let her go as he already did. Not once did she talk about her husband and child, which was a terrible sign because it meant that she wasn't likely to think of them again. But why? Because that child reminded her so much of the one she had lost when she had driven on that rainy night, three years ago? Because her husband was nothing like Toushiro?

No. She didn't speak of them simply because she saw them as the product of a conspiracy born from the cruel minds of two men who disapproved of her relationship with Hitsugaya. She didn't even refer to her husband as 'him', simply because she claimed that he was wholly deprived of personality. Toushiro, on his part, had another theory-he had a personality, but she had successfully deprived him of one in her quest to return to her past state of blissful ignorance.

The more time he spent with that woman, the more he found himself wondering how someone could be so altered in such a short period of time. The Karin he remembered was cheery, strong, independent, and even if she had been a little obsessed with her career in football, she had never been cruel. Now, Hitsugaya couldn't recognize her. She was broken…broken and bitter.

Not once had he tried to contradict her. Not once did he get up and leave, in spite of the fact that he was often tempted to. How could she speak of her family in such terms? How could she go on blaming her father and brother for trying to help her? He honestly didn't know. Yes, they had acted selfishly not telling her the whole truth, but the relationship Toushiro had had with her had ended when she told him that he was pulling her down. It was unfair, everything was so unfair…because he could not understand how could she hate that man who he had seen kneel down and kiss her belly when she was carrying his child. That man who had married her, unknowing of everything she had endured. That man, who was now trying to nurse their child, not understanding what he had done wrong, what she wanted, what could he do to pacify her. How could she hate her own child, too, the baby she had carried in herself, the baby she had nursed and created?

The more time he spend with her, the more eager he was to go back home, to Rangiku. But her note had brought on another reality-a reality he'd been trying to ignore until she thrust it in his face. He still had not gotten over his past.

Taking a deep breath, he braced himself for what was about to come, and walked inside.

* * *

"I honestly don't get why you need to do this." Nanao said, clutching her handbag to her breast as if she expected it to shield her from the place she had found herself in, before adding, in a slightly more desperate tone "You said this would be a small detour."

"It is a small detour. Don't you see how tiny everything is, Nanao-chan?" Shunsui said in a singsong as the two walked between two rows of cribs in the baby store. On her part, Nanao just gave out a tiny groan "Now, now, Nanao, one might think that you don't like children."

"It's not like I don't like them…" she said "But I just don't see myself having any of my own."

"Many of us think that. But after you enter the so called old age, you start thinking differently." He stated, while dangling a shaker with pink elephants drawn all over

"You're not old."

"I'm old enough to consider Mitsuko a threat."

Nanao didn't retort, opting for a different theme altogether. "Do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?"

"A boy. Although both Rangiku-san and Hitsugaya-kun are powerful personalities…I wouldn't be surprised that she might have twins."

"Don't you think that we should wait for picking up gifts?" she wondered, while observing the huge selection of rubber toys the store offered "I mean, people usually throw baby showers once they know the child's gender, and their number. Besides, a crib should match with the rest of the room, and we won't be able to convert the guest room into a nursery for a couple of more months when Rangiku won't feel sick as soon as she smells paint…"

"Lovely Nanao-chan…" Shunsui crooned, wrapping an arm around her waist and bringing her up to him "Whenever you want, we can equip a baby room of our own. In my place, of course. We won't have to repaint the walls, you know."

"You wish." She smacked him with her purse, but ended up having it snatched from him. Gingerly, he threw it over his shoulder and tsked.

"Nanao-chan, I always wish, but lately, I've discovered that my wishes can come true."

She twisted in his arms and neared her face to his "And how will I know if you don't want me only to get out of the engagement with Aoi-san?"

"Why, because if it was just about getting out of the engagement, I would've gotten married long ago." He said, pecking her lips lightly, causing her to pout at him. Just as she was about to retort, a deafening shriek came from the street. Before either of them managed to take a look out of the screen to see what the hell was going on, the shop door opened with a bang.

"YOU LOUSY BASTARD!" Aoi Mitsuko shrieked, shaking with rage as she headed for Shunsui. "You no good son of a bitch. You sleazy, cheating, perverted…"

"You're making a scene, Aoi-san." Nanao said calmly

"Don't get me started, you two-faced wench!" Mitsuko hissed, but dropped her voice down by an octave or two. Luckily, the store wasn't crowded, the only ones staring were the women of the staff. "You swore that you would not meet him!"

"I believe that I said I had no intention to date him."

"Whatever!"

"There is a difference." Nanao insisted "Intentions change."

"I'm his fiancée!"

"I'm his girlfriend. Like many others before me." The ebony-haired woman stated, rubbing her glasses with a piece of cloth. The employees of the store were gathering up, chatting quietly. The tension in the air rose to crucial heights. When she inspected her glasses for spots and put them back on, she went on "However, as everyone of them, I have the chance to become more. You know that. So far you've permitted it. Why object now, I wonder?"

The slap resonated until the very foundations of her body and sent her glasses flying across the room. The people gasped with shock, Shunsui darted forth and seized Mitsuko's hand before she delivered anther blow, while Nanao just stood there, her head turned on the side where the hit had sent it.

"You've gone too far." He whispered "You better go away before I call your father."

"How can you possibly trade me for this frigid bitch? How can you call of the engagement to be with this woman, damn you?! She will never live up to your expectations!"

"She already has. Unlike you. Now go away, or I'll throw you out."

"You'll regret this! You both will…" Mitsuko looked at Nanao, and froze dead in Shunsui's grip. He turned to look at her, and against himself, he gasped.

Nanao had always had a pair of expressive eyes, he knew. But now, without the glasses, unveiled, they were exposed in their full beauty. Angry swirls of violet danced in them, as she said, terrifyingly slow. "Is this your way of dealing with problems? Do you always need brute force to get what you want? If that's so, it's no wonder you're always unhappy."

She made her way to her and cupped her cheek "Take this piece of advice from me. Stop being so straight-laced. Find another thing to do in your spare time other than stalking a man who's not yours."

"You're going to be sorry for this…" Mitsuko stuttered "I swear it, you're both toast! You…you…your company is finished with! I'll obliterate it! I'll…"

"Please, go ahead." Nanao smiled, throwing a lock of hair over her shoulder "Nobody's capable of running it anymore. One of my associates is going on maternity leaf very soon anyway. I'll have more time to help her if I'm not busy doing Shunsui's paperwork."

Furious, Mitsuko let out another helpless shriek, and broke a run for it.

* * *

After apologizing for all the commotion, Shunsui picked up Nanao's glasses from the floor, wiped them with the end of his gaudy pink shirt, and turned towards her. She was still standing where Mitsuko had left her, re-arranging her messy locks into their customary bun.

"Who knew that such a tigress lay dormant underneath my Nanao-chan's icy façade?" He said, getting her attention. She slightly looked over her shoulder to see him, and nodded slightly.

"It's a side of me I prefer to manifest when I throw hoops, not when I'm dealing with my company's future."

"Don't worry, we'll be safe." Shunsui laughed, pushing her chin up until she looked at him "You're beautiful, Nanao."

"What was she talking about?" she asked, instead of reacting to the compliment "About you calling off the engagement?"

"Oh, that…" he waved his hand carelessly "I called the old geezers before I left for Spain. Told them to break off the engagement with the Aoi family and cease immediately all business contact with them, or else I'll be completely removing myself from the Kyoraku family protection."

"And they accepted?" Nanao noted, trying to look unimpressed, while her mind was trying to calculate what kind of gamble he'd gotten himself in. The loses that such a major change in business partners amounted to nearly made her eyes budge out. The only thing weirder than that was the fact that the Kyoraku family had actually succumbed.

"Well, if they can afford it, why not?" he said, nearly making her faint…again "Either way, it does not bother me. I have an amount of money laid on the side, the only difference that would be made is that my Nanao-chan will be the breadwinner."

"Some breadwinner. With a failing company and crumbling towers of paperwork."

"Mother liked you. And if mother liked you, father likes you too. And since my brother is so picture perfect, that is enough for everyone else to accept you."

"How does your mother persuade your father to like me when he hasn't even….never mind, I don't want to know!"

"Sweet Nanao-chan…" He crooned, nuzzling the top of her head and perching the glasses on the side of her nose. "I would much rather show you, than tell you that…"

"Of course you do." She turned towards the merchandise, arranging her glasses carefully "So, about that crib…"

"No, Nanao, you're right." He said, taking her hand and leading her out on the street "We're going to pick out the paint first." After a few minutes, he blinked confusedly and turned his head around. "Say, Nanao-chan, do you think Mitsuko threw a fit here too? Why's everyone staring at us?"

"Aoi-san has nothing to do with this, Shun." She replied, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek "You can stop holding my purse for me though."

* * *

Ukitake sighed into his cup of tea, curious as to whether he should try to commit a hara-kiri with the teaspoon. He wanted to, really. He wanted to do it, and if he tried really hard, maybe he'd succeed in cutting himself before somebody busted in through the door, no doubt thanks to the security cameras installed in some of the rooms for the sake of keeping heavily depressed patients from killing themselves. Never mind that they all knew where they are and could turn them off anytime, their bare presence made people feel obliged to behave, as if the little machine, with its glass lens of an eye was actually a real person, a 24/7 participant in your life here.

Maybe the camera had been one of the reasons he'd rejected Nemu. These two weeks, he'd been often thinking about why he'd rejected her, and the camera was one of the less reasonable answers to his questions. He had developed a theory that if he accepted her advance, they might decide to skip over things and get down on the bed, which would mean that Unohana would not only know what he'd done to her daughter, but also she would have evidence to present the police with when she called her boyfriend, the police chief Zaraki, to arrest him.

Other less crazy ideas were-his age, her age, her mental and his physical state, difference in experience, delusion and hormonal overdose for both of them. Since she stopped coming lately, it was pretty easy for him to think. Unohana-san said that she was studying for an exam that would get her to college, but Ukitake knew she was lying because Nemu had once told him that she graduated an accelerated studies college before she was seventeen. She had a degree in biology, but thanks to her father she was never capable of making a use of it, because he started going nuts and Unohana searched for getting full custody of her 'child'.

It was for the best, but then why was he so sad? He was willing to go to her and beg for her forgiveness, but he was too afraid to go there and find out that she'd regressed back to her past state of apathy. It wouldn't be too hard for her, given that he'd hurt her so much. It served him right too…

Just when he was about to become desperate, there was a knock on the door and to his surprise, he found Nemu there, rolling a crushed daisy in one of her hands. She looked at him blankly, and stated:

"I lost my count. That's never happened to me before."

"Oh…Ugh…" how intelligent, he kicked himself "You never have?"

"I got distracted. And this…"He loves me, he loves me not" nearly lulled me to sleep. It's hypnotizing." She complained. Ukitake smiled.

"You don't need a daisy for that. Nemu-san, I…I really apologize for before. I was very harsh."

"For what?"

"For…saying those things…I hurt your feelings, didn't I? Your mother said you've suddenly decided to take an exam, and…"

"I did. But not for the reasons she hopes I took it." she said, carefully putting the daisy in her pocket "You regret saying what you said to me, but there are things that you have to consider, am I right?"

"You can say that." He said, surprised that she understood so easily

"I'm afraid that after what I did, we will never be able to go back to the way we were before." Nemu stated, with a slight disappointment to her voice

"Yes, I'm afraid this is so."

"Can I at least suggest a different path?" she asked

"Of course. What is it?"

"Not now." She shook her head "Meet me tomorrow outside. We'll go on a ride."

* * *

A/N-Review. And if you can look at my spinoff "Stages of love", I'll be most grateful.

On a less persuasive note-guess who gets legal on the thirteenth?

* * *


	27. Reconcile!

**Reconcile**

Click-clack-click-clack.

As soon as she heard that sound, she knew that it wasn't good. People that follow you have the distinguishing habit of copying your own pace, only that she knew that it wasn't her feet that were making it, because today in probably ten years Matsumoto Rangiku wasn't wearing heals.

Nearly two months into pregnancy had a way of changing people. Due to her newfound depression, she worked mostly from home, leaving the meetings to Nanao and Shunsui. That, combined with the fact that she couldn't retain any food had resulted into turning her into a sad caricature of herself. Her hair had lost its shine and volume, after all the abuse it had suffered and was pulled back into a swingy pony tail. Her dress was hanging on her shoulders like on a rack, and she could swear that her ankles had began swallowing, thus the choice of flats over heels. Of course, Isane said that most of those symptoms would go away after the first trimester was over, and that by worrying she was making things worse for herself. Rangiku dared to disagree-the no hearing from Hitsugaya was only the tip of the iceberg.

When she turned around, scanning the crowd carefully, expecting to catch sight of a stalker or something else, she was surprised to find that a very familiar person stood not ten feet behind her. Kurosaki Karin.

Rangiku froze, for a split second wondering what to do. Maybe talk to her? Wave? Would she even acknowledge her? Did she remember her? Or maybe she was following her for a reason?

Luckily, Karin spared both of them the turmoil and came on her own. "Matsumoto-san?"

Her throat was dry, but she nodded: "Yes. Hello again, Kurosaki-san."

"May I speak to you? Now, if possible."

"Well, I…" she looked at her watch "I was in a hurry to get to the bank. There is a payment I forgot to make, and today's the deadline."

"I'll join you then. I need to talk to you, no matter what." Karin said, already walking alongside her. Matsumoto sped up her pace, but snuck a peek at her face as she did so. She looked paler than she remembered her, and her body seemed to have lost the curviness that comes with every pregnancy. For a little less than a few weeks, Karin had turned into a walking skeleton.

The bank greeted her with air conditioning and squeaky clean floors. The building was bristling with activity, not unsurprisingly for such a brilliant day. Matsumoto relaxed a little as she got in line in front of the teller's desk, hoping, like a guilty boyfriend, that Karin wouldn't make a scene in such a public place. Shallow, yeah, but terribly true.

"Shiro-kun broke up with me today." Karin sniffed on her side. Oh, shit!

"He did?" Rangiku asked, trying to sound incredulous "Why?"

"I was hoping that you could tell me." Oh, SHIT! "He just told me that things had changed."

"That doesn't really sound like him." Rangiku tried to soothe her "Hitsugaya-san is a very careful person. He must've given you a reason."

"You're right. He…" Karin took a deep breath "He listened to me all these weeks, and today, he told me that…I was wrong, that there were things I was overlooking, and that he would not allow me to continue like this. He told me that the night of the accident, I had been very angry at…something, and told him that I did not want him and his baby to weight me down. I tried telling him that it wasn't true, that even if I said it, I had not done it out of malice or anything, that I hadn't meant it. He just shook his head and continued to point out the obvious reasons why I was wrong-I had changed when I'd discovered my pregnancy. I had become angry. I told him that he couldn't blame me for having mood swings, but he just kept shaking his head. He's wrong to blame me for some fight we had three years ago, right!"

"I…" Rangiku paused for long enough to tell the clerk why she was here and to take the necessary documents from him. Slowly, the two women made their way to a table so that she could fill them out "Karin-san, did he say that this is why he's breaking up with you?"

"No. He said that it had been my wish, and that I had no right to blame my…husband and punish my child because of what happened. He assured me that he would continue to see me, but he could not become the reason for me to destroy the marriage that I had created, the child I had given birth to, because…in spite of everything I said about my father and brother, getting married had ultimately been my decision."

"Well…" _It was_ "Karin-san, I really don't know what to tell you. Maybe he has a point. How could your husband had known about your past? How is your child responsible for it?"

"Yes, but…they always encouraged me to…to do everything! They…they…it wasn't enough that I had forgotten my past, they made me put memory after new memory over it, to cover up and bind myself to this present and not be able to go back in the past. How can I look at my child now, knowing that it keeps me from being with Shiro-kun?"

"Do you honestly love him this much? Do you really love him so much that he's more important than your family, than your son?"

Karin stared at her, eyes wide. "Is he hooking up with you?"

Rangiku didn't reply, just kept staring at her, eyes focused on hers.

"He is, isn't he? You're that person he told me he has to be with right now! How typical!" Karin breathed angrily "What did you do? How did you seduce him? Or he's been drowning his sorrow in alcohol and women? How many were there after he was freed from my burden?"

"Karin-san…" Rangiku began

"It's the same every single damn time!" she went on angrily "Big boobs and a smile and they're smitten. What kind of hypocrite is he, anyway! Blaming me for being upset that I can't have a career when he himself didn't want a wife and child to tie him down!"

"Karin-san…"

"How stupid does he think I am?!"

"Do you remember seeing him in the museum?" Rangiku snapped at her "Over three months ago, when you were still pregnant. You were with your brother and your friends in the café, and you waved at him when you saw him."

"Yes…" she nodded

"He was devastated to see you, married and pregnant. He'd never been unfaithful to you, not even after your brother told him to go. It was I who tried to help him out of his shell, and for entirely shallow reasons, I admit, but after that I truly wanted to be his friend. And now I suffer too because I can't be with him. However, I don't blame anyone for it but myself. But you know, you also have a loving husband, Karin-san. A man I only saw once, a man who knelt on the dirty floor of that same café to talk to his unborn child, who loves you and who's probably wondering what went wrong between you two!"

"And what…" Karin opened her mouth, but then somebody yelled:

"WATCH OUT!"

Rangiku turned her head to look at the screen just in time to see the car as it was speeding straight at the sidewalk.

Everything blurred and her ears became deaf with the sudden adrenalin rush. She and Karin leapt at their feet, knocking over the chairs and table where they'd been sitting, but it was too late to run. Just as the car hit the glass doors of the bank, Rangiku grabbed her companion by the hand, bringing her down on the ground behind the knocked over table and braced her back against the raft and holding Karin down next to herself. Behind her, something crashed and turned, hitting the corner of the table, sending both women tumbling down on the ground as glass showered the floor frantically. Rangiku opened her eyes for long enough to find the car, that burst through the wooden counter and hit the wall on the opposite side of the bank.

Mercifully, there were no people in its way, but the front of it had turned into a harmonica from the impact. Someone was trying to get the driver out, but it looked like this wouldn't happen without a metal cutter and a truck to get the car away from the wall. However, its condition was too worrying for them to overlook. Without saying a word, she got up, grabbed Karin by the arm and sprinted through the piles of broken glass and broken furniture, out of the building while the car gave out a few more feeble rumbles and then burst into flames.

The torrential wave of hot air knocked both of them over the sidewalk. Rangiku brought out her arms to soften the fall, but ended up falling down on some of the broken glass. Almost immediately, she felt herself choking on the vile smoke that came from inside the bank. Simultaneously, Karin seemed to have woken up, because Rangiku felt a strong, bony arm wrap around her shoulders, get her up and help her to the other end of the street.

"Thank you…" the strawberry blonde managed to cough out as Karin seated her on one of the benches there.

"Just returning the favor." The young woman replied in a voice so wholly unlike the whiny mess than before that Rangiku stared at her with surprise.

As if somebody suddenly turned the volume on, the world around her suddenly filled with sounds. There was a fire alarm going on and on, mixing up with the sound of sirens from afar. The air was filled with smoke, and there was a particular pain in her right arm and her palms, suggesting a bad fracture. But Rangiku couldn't help but feel herself captivated with the sudden authority that oozed from Kurosaki Karin at this moment. As if she was a different person.

"Relax." She ordered her "There will be ambulances here at any second."

"But…"

"I said relax." Karin said, before grinning suddenly "I think I get it now."

"Do you?" Matsumoto murmured, before promptly passing out.

* * *

"Rangiku!" Nanao exclaimed, bursting into her room, followed almost immediately by Shunsui.

"Nan-chaaaan!" Matsumoto whined "I didn't get to make the payment!"

"Shut up!" her friend ordered "How dare you speak of payments when you nearly got ran over!?! I swear, you just shortened my life by ten years here!"

"And mine too." Shunsui nodded "A decade for both of you. We barely had the presence of mind to get dressed before hurrying here!"

Rangiku's eyebrows shot out with pleasant surprise, as she inspected her friends more carefully. Sure enough, Nanao's bun was pretty disheveled, and Shunsui's customary pink shirt looked like it was missing a few buttons. Her friend pursed her lips in a 'Don't you dare say anything!', to which she answered with a 'wasn't planning to' pout. How cute…

"Please relax." Isane ordered her while she took the readings on her blood pressure. They had already met in the ER, where Isane had quickly done the initial check-up and patched her up before sending her upstairs to be hospitalized. With all the stress she had endured, it was a miracle that the baby was safe and sound, but Matsumoto wasn't going to take Isane's words for granted until she saw the photographs from the echo sounding.

Strangely enough, it was the girl who looked more stressed than her patient, and Rangiku couldn't help noticing the slight trembling of Isane's lips as she drew out the echo sounder and turned it on. She glanced at Nanao, who, luckily, still read her signs, because she turned towards Shunsui.

"Can you go downstairs to check how things are with Aoi-san?"

"Nanao-chan…"

"Please, do it." she said, putting an emphasis on all the words. Slowly, he nodded and staggered out of the room.

"What's wrong?" Rangiku asked "Does Aoi-san need special medical attention?"

"Yes." Nanao nodded, taking a seat next to her and taking her friend's hand "That, as well as a psychiatrist and probably ten different reconstructive surgeries."

"What?"

"I'm so sorry, Rangiku…" the ebony-haired woman said, shaking her head "She saw me and Shunsui today. He wanted to check out some….things in a baby shop, he's so set on buying you a crib, and she saw us there. Probably, she assumed something because she came in and threw a major fit. I chased her away, but apparently she got so mad she hopped on her car and sped right into you."

"You mean…" Matsumoto's eyes went wide with shock "That was her in the car?"

"Yes. One of the employees of the bank got her out of the car, but then in blew up, and they both caught fire. The sprinklers in the bank turned on, but it was too late for them. When we came, the journalists had already gotten the dibs that she was heavily charred. She's stable, apparently, but she'll never be the same."

Both Isane and Rangiku stared at her, eyes wide with disbelief. "But…" finally, Matsumoto began

"It's my fault." Nanao sighed "You nearly died because of me…I'm sorry, Ran…"

"Now wait a second here!" the busty blond exclaimed "How is it your fault that Aoi-san is unstable?! I was just….just…shocked."

"Shocked?"

"Yes, shocked, that so many damn stupid things happen to me so suddenly! It's not enough that I'm pregnant, with a boyfriend who's busy saving his ex from an asylum, but now the said ex comes up to me to tell me they've broken up, all on the day when you finally tell _your_ boyfriend's obsessive stalker to fuck off, and she decides to nearly kill me and my adversary! What is this, a soap opera!?!"

"Gravitation theory…" Isane mumbled, causing both women to whirl around and look at her with similar-what?-expressions.

"What do you mean, Kotetsu-sensei?" Nanao asked

"It's just…something Hisagi-san and I were musing about." She said "It's really weird. Kiyone-chan asked me to pick your car from the garage, you see, and I ended up going on a date with the mechanic. We started talking about how strange it was that we all knew you, and also knew people who know you. We called it the gravitation theory."

In spite of herself, Matsumoto threw her head back and laughed, long, loud and hard. "Well, with boobs like mine, I wouldn't be surprised if I have a gravity of my own!" Another few minutes of hearted laugher, and she finally said "I'm so happy that you got out on a date with Shuuhei, Isane. I told Kiyone it would be cool to set you guys up together, but I never thought…that it would happen through my car!"

"Yeah…" Isane said, regaining her somber mood "I guess that too many coincidences happen here to be real."

"What is it?" Nanao asked "Is something wrong, Kotetsu-san?"

Isane didn't reply. She was toying with the bottle of lubricant for the echo sounder, before setting it down with a loud thump and walking towards the window. "Too much drama, that's what's wrong." She finally replied, putting her hands behind her back "It's like everything is being calculated around here!"

"That's what Fate is for." Matsumoto tried to joke, but Isane just sighed with exasperation, plopping down on a chair next to her

"I don't think so. What does Fate got to do with it, really? Is it Fate that I meet someone cool, funny and sensitive, all through some strange and unexpected ways? Is it Fate that I finally have a boyfriend, and that because of him the director's trying to fire me because he's afraid that I'll start slacking off? Of course, that has nothing to do with my work, it's because we're in the middle of a crisis and they can't afford to pay me for nothing. Who cares that I've been here, working like a horse in the ward and the ER for four years? Who cares that I suffer the abuse because I can't let myself go? Who cares that last month I was working 24 hour shifts three times a week and didn't once ask for a raise?! Fate? I don't think so!"

"What?" Nanao's business self suddenly woke up at these words "You've been working overtime without asking them to pay you more? Even though you've definitely covered more than the obligatory 40 hours of weekly labor? Kotetsu-sensei, they don't have the legal right to exploit you like this!"

"And what's that part about them trying to fire you because you got a boyfriend?" Rangiku's eyebrows arched

"They're afraid that I'll slack off. Apparently, my salary is such a burden on the budget that they just need a reason to get rid of me." Isane said, miserably

"But that's not fair. And since when do they think they can fire you just because you got a life? I never thought doctors had to take a celibacy vow."

"Well, for your first question, they won't fire me, they'll pressure me into resigning, and guess what-I will, because I can't handle it anymore. As for being a celibate, for me it doesn't matter anyway because apparently my incapability for physical contact has become so proverbial that a guy won't even try to have sex with me, so what the hell am I still doing here?"

Suddenly, she stopped, groaned, and plopped down on her chair. "I'm sorry. I just needed to get this out."

"That's ok, Isane-chan." Matsumoto patted her on the shoulder with her bandaged hand "How about you tell me all that happened, and I'll tell you what to do."

* * *

Later, after Isane and Nanao left her alone, Rangiku was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering about, out of all things, love. This feeling that made us so irrational.

It was so diverse. There was the nostalgic love that caused Karin so much sadness. There was the maternity love that she would discover for her newborn child, and that Rangiku herself already wrapped her unborn one with. The love-at-first-sight that Shunsui had felt for Nanao, and the one she had developed towards him through denial and suffering. The instantaneous attraction that had sparked between Isane and Shuuhei, but that had escalated into more just by the unpredictability of their actions.

And then there was her love for Toushiro. She could not describe it, or categorize it, simply because it was what it was-absolutely amazing and transcendental.

How long had she played matchmaker for her friends and family. For Orihime, never, but she had made up for it with everyone else. Just now, she'd urged Isane to find out what was going on with Shuuhei, and fight for his love no matter what, and yet here she was going all passive-defensive simply because she felt her heart was too tender to be broken. Why? Why, in the end, she felt so small and insignificant and afraid, when in truth she was supposed to be the opposite. After all the pampering she'd done for her friends, she could not find the strength to fight?

And then, just as she was about to bury her head in her pillow and wail her grief, the door cracked and opened. It was probably Nanao, with more news, offering moral support and keeping her from go…-

Toushiro! Toushiro was there!

* * *

**A/N-I love reviews! Make this now-18 year old happy and review! Or else I'll dip into my stash of threats and then you'll see!**


	28. Back into your heart

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Back into your heart

Rangiku's eyes nearly budged out of her head as he watched him walk inside, all white hair and disheveled clothes. The joy overcame her instantaneously, probably because of the strong medicine/near death experience combo that she'd had in less than three hours. It clouded her senses. But then again, her common sense was almost always clouded, wasn't it? That's why she was Marianne, not Eleanor.

Her body felt strangely devoid of any energy, and she lay limp on the bed while, he came in, gave the room a look, and then went out to drag in a chair for himself. He was growling something underneath his nose, clearly dissatisfied, but underneath her professional sense could detect a certain insecurity as to how to go about this. As quickly as her happiness had come, it withered, leaving her with a stone in her stomach and a gaping hole in her heart. It reminded her that she didn't know how the things between Toushiro and Karin stood, thus leaving the things between her and Toushiro uncertain. Of course, Karin had told her that he had tried ending it, but that didn't mean that she would accept it.

Maybe the moment in the bank just after the car crashed in had only been a flash of her old self, only to be buried deep in again.

"How are you?" Hitsugaya asked, sitting down quickly on the chair, which gave out an ominous creak. "I'm so sorry for not coming here quicker, can you believe that the hospital only contacted me because some Kotetsu-sensei told the nurses I should be here? Talk about incompetence! And then it took me half an hour to get around to this floor! I asked for instructions, but they only made me even more confused. Please, forgive me…."

"For what?" Matsumoto finally managed "For not coming here in the millisecond after the incident, or for not being there in the bank to shield me with your body?"

She tried to make it sound as a joke, but it was almost enough to make her crumple in tears. Quickly, she caught herself and looked out the window, quickly adding: "It's not that much of a big deal, you know. I'm fine. I was far from the way of the car, and I was out of the bank before it blew up. I…could've been in my home, watching the news and I would've been affected in the very same way."

"What? You'd run through a glass door as the kitchen explodes behind you?"

"It's happened." She shrugged

Hitsugaya shook his head, got up abruptly and started pacing. "I swear, Rangiku, you're taking this too lightly! You can't possibly sit here, where I can SEE you're as pale as Death and twice as thin, and tell me that you're _fine_! I should sue that bank for having such a weak façade. Or better yet-traffic police for not stopping that maniac in time. Or-the entire Aoi family. I have the lawyers for it, and I'm sure that Shunsui will appreciate it greatly."

"Toushiro!" Rangiku forced herself to raise her voice and stop him "There is really no need for that. Aoi Mitsuko is currently fighting for her life, and if she makes it, she'll have to suffer quite a lot before she has a semblance of a normal life. I think it's a more horrid punishment than anything the law could enforce on her. Besides, I'm not the one that suffered the most from this accident."

"Yes, I know. It shook a lot of people up." He said, returning to his chair with a sigh "Karin was there with you, when the ambulances arrived. I came here at the same time as her brother and father stumbled inside the ER. She had actually called them, hoping that I was with them so that they could bring me to you."

She swallowed, suddenly feeling tiny and insignificant under his gaze. Rangiku lowered her eyes, trying to focus on the wrinkles on her bed sheet, when she felt his hand clasp over hers, squeezing lightly. Looking up, she was surprised to see him smile at her. "You guys talked."

You guys talked. Such a simple sentence, and yet he made it sound like she had showed Karin the light. Rangiku stared at him, disbelief written all over her face-never before had she seen him so peaceful, so calm. Even when they were together, there had been something of a permanent scowl written all over his features, as if his eyebrows had been glued together. Now, however, his features were absolutely relaxed, and he looked absolutely…serene.

Why?

Why was he so calm? Why was he so happy? She wanted to scream that question at him, yell it out again and again, until she ran out of breath, but even contemplating that drained the little energy she had. Besides…there was an even more horrible realization dawning on her. Could it be, she thought, mortified, could it be that he was so calm because, in truth, he had actually cracked? Because he wanted to be with Karin and the fact that they had 'talked' implied that the two were now great friends, and that Rangiku would happily step down and let him go to her?

Anger bubbled up into her, threatening to tear out into the surface like one of those aliens in cheap horror movies that lay their eggs into their victims and then eat their way out, one muscle at a time. How dare he? Who did he think he is? To come here looking all concerned for her while he was thinking how great it would be to be with Karin. That bastard! She was going to kill him, really! But it wouldn't be quick and clean, oh, no! She'd do it slowly and tenderly, sticking needles under his nails until he wasn't able to remember his name, and he'd die with a clear vision of the agony he was suffering. Of course…she'd get someone to do it for her. She wouldn't be able to carry it out if she threw up every ten seconds, and she really needed someone with more resolution than her.

She'd heard that Nanao was familiar with some techniques…but Matsumoto seriously hoped that neither of them would have to resort to them.

"Yes, we did. She nearly made a scene when she figured out that you and I…saw each other." Ok, her train of thought carried on, maybe, just maybe, she'd made him think that if he wanted to be with Karin she wouldn't try to tie him down, but God Damn It, that didn't mean that she would allow him to toy with her. No, siree, heads would roll if someone wanted to make fun of Matsumoto Rangiku.

"I know. But…you know, what you said to her…whatever you did…and what happened afterwards seemed to have snapped her out of it."

"Out of what?" she said, trying to hold that hopeful feeling that rose within her down

"That trance in which she's been ever since she got her memories back." Toushiro replied, his thumb stroking her skin slowly "What you saw wasn't the real her, Rangiku. The real Karin…would have never acted like this. She would have never been so cold and unfeeling."

"Really?" Rangiku asked, half-giddy that he was using her given name, half-cautious as to whether or not she should rejoice at this information

"Yeah. I've been trying to do that since…since she showed up. To point out to her that this is not the person she is, that this is not someone she wants to be. To set her on her feet gently, if you want. Only…it appears that I should've brought her down to earth immediately, huh?" he gave her a sheepish smile "I'm sorry."

"For?" she gurgled, not finding herself capable to continue the sentence.

"For alienating you like this. I know that this is what you wanted…sort of….but I should've been with you anyway. Throughout these weeks…I needed you so badly, and yet I was too afraid to come back to you when my business with Karin was unfinished."

"Business?" Ok, it was a little wrong, but Rangiku felt strangely hopeful. He wouldn't call it business if it was love.

"Yes, business. You see, I knew that it would be a hard time for me, and I guess you knew that too, because you left me that letter. I wanted to get over with it soon so that I could come to you, but it took so long, and I actually felt like running towards you…every single time I went to her house, I wanted to go to you. I thought that…your optimism, your cheerfulness, you…would encourage me to go all the way. Even if I caught a little glimpse of you would be enough. But…"

"But?" Guess she was on one-liners today. But it was ok. She wouldn't handle the rest anyway.

"But I know that this wasn't the easiest period…for any of us. And…I knew that, eventually, I might blow up into your face…or vice versa…and I really didn't want this to happen. We'd say things that we'd regret later on, but I didn't want us to say them in the first place. So, in a way, my cowardice was stronger than my necessity to see you, and now I'm sorry for it. Maybe, if I hadn't kept my distance, you wouldn't have been into this bank today."

"Toushiro…" Rangiku sighed, squeezing his hand right back "I told you, it doesn't matter. And you were right for doing as I asked you-I don't think I could've handled it. I don't think I can handle it even now." She added, smoldering the wrinkles of the bed sheet again. And then again. Up and down went her hand, drawing waves on the cotton, but she never met his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"How are things now? Did you two completely settle your little differences, now that's she's her old self again?"

"Umm…I'm not sure, I was more concerned about you than about her when I came." Toushiro replied, completely oblivious to the real reason she was asking him this. "We only said a few words to each other, but she didn't seem to mind that I was going to you rather than staying with her. I don't think she'll regress back to her previous state." He shuddered

She, however, didn't look up, and for the first time he realized that something was wrong. Her face, already ghastly pale from the ordeal she'd gone through over the last day, had become as stiff as a statue, and her features were almost professionally impassive. Rangiku was obviously going out of her way to appear calm, and it didn't take a boy-genius to figure it out.

But why was she feeling this dread, this pressure? Matsumoto Rangiku, expert on love, the woman with more boyfriends than she could count, was getting so wind up over something like this? Surely, the boyfriend-possibly-getting-back-with-his-ex wasn't a new scenario for her…She wondered about that, but the tears were already threatening to form underneath her eyelids, and she couldn't really muster a response. Why was she so unhappy when he'd told her that he'd been worried about her? Why was this misery, when he'd come to her first instead of staying by the side of the mentally fragile girl he'd been trying to heal for months? She should be happy! She ought to be happy!

It gave her a strange sense of déjà vu. Some years ago, when Rangiku was starting up, she'd made enough money to transfer Orihime into a coed school, as she felt that such things as an all-girls college were all well and good, but for the more passionate ones it was safer to have boys around them every day, so that they do not mystify them as some sort o knights in shining armor. There, Orihime had fallen in love with a certain boy, and it had been all stars and that sort of things, until he was accepted early into Todai and then fell in love with another girl. Rangiku's sister had been devastated, although she put up a happy face and said that she ought to be happy for him, because the only thing better than falling in love was to fall in love with someone who loves you back. But she had been hurt, until she went to the Conservatory and university life (along with Grimmjaw), hit her so hard that she didn't even know up from down.

Before those lovely events happened, however, Rangiku had listened to her say those words countless of times, and she had told her right back that if she really felt something for that boy (who remained nameless for the sake of her sanity), she shouldn't be so quick to bury it alive for the sake of his happiness alone. If there was truly a person who deserved to be happy in this world, it was Orihime, and tears did not suit her very well.

And now, like a true hypocrite, she was backing out on her own words. However, this was a different case. He was with her. So why wasn't she happy for herself? This was ridiculous.

"Rangiku?" his voice snapped her out of the reverie, and she made the horrid mistake of looking him in the eye. Toushiro was suddenly taken aback by the sudden brilliance in her eyes.

"I'm so tired…" she whimpered, and to his horror tears started dripping down her cheeks. "I'm tired of always being on alert, always guessing what is about to happen, always trying to pick the best decision. I just want to be with you."

"So do I…"

"But I want…we want that the past is completely left behind us. I gave up Gin, and if you think that there is any future for the two of us, you have to give up on Karin. I know I'm pressing you, but that's how it has to be. You already know what happens when you don't give up entirely on the past."

"Yeah. Glass accidents." He tried to joke, but that only made her even more angry. Looking up at him, she yelled:

"Yeah, glass accidents! Glass accidents that result in days of sulking! How can baby and I deal with your mood swings when I personally can't stand to be without you even for an hour! You may think this is funny, but if one of those fights scaled into something like what we are experiencing now, I won't handle it! And neither will the baby!"

She slapped a hand over her mouth, realizing what she'd just said. Hitsugaya was looking at her, puzzled, mouth opening and closing as comprehension dawned on him.

"Rangiku, did you just say…baby…"

Her eyes were zapping around the room, her hand still over her mouth. "Ugh…"

"Rangiku…you're pregnant?!" he mumbled, his face one of pure disbelief and bewilderment. But there wasn't any anger. That encouraged her to take her hand down and nod slowly. "Why didn't you tell me?!" He exclaimed, jumping on his feet and slamming a fist in the wall. Ok, maybe a little anger…

"I told you I had a lot of things to tell you. I'm pregnant-that's the first and uttermost important one. I love you, that's the second. I want to be with you. That's the last. You can't blame me for wanting to tell you this."

"I know that! But why wouldn't you tell me earlier? I wouldn't have treated things with kid gloves if I had known!"

"I didn't want to tie you down. I needed you to make that decision alone, without any sort of influence."

He paused and glared at her dangerously. "And if I decided to stay with Karin? Would you have told me that?"

"Probably. But I would've waited for some time. Probably for the child to be born. Probably I wouldn't have come to you until you were perfectly settled in and the whole fuss had blown over. If you decided you love Karin after all, a child wouldn't have made any big difference, at least in your feelings towards me. I was afraid, you see, that the love you would feel for my baby would make you think that you have to love me as well, and…"

"This is stupid! Of course I love you! I've always loved you! I'd never love anyone by obligation!"

"And what were you doing with Karin? You were pretending that you loved her!"

"I was…" he sighed, and lowered his voice to a normal level "I was trying to help her on her feet. I never spoke of love to her. Yes, I didn't contradict her when she was telling me that she still loved me, but I told her off. I let this go on for too long, I admit, but…But I love you, Rangiku."

"I believe you." She sighed and closed her eyes "It's just pregnancy mood swings. I've been violent for a little too long."

"That's not important, you have the full right to be." He thought about it for a while, then let out a tiny smile and sat on the edge of the bed, taking one of her hands into his and placing his free palm on her belly gently. "So it really is true? Please tell me this isn't a dream, things are too good to end now…"

"If you stayed a full twenty-four hours you'd see things aren't too good." She said, placing her own hand over his on her belly "My stomach can't handle any sort of food and I can't sleep. I'm moody all the time and I feel like I've been run over."

"You're beautiful." He assured her, leaning in to kiss her. Rangiku sighed, and finally left the euphoria engulf her. She couldn't help but repeat the words finally in her head. Finally, finally, finally, finally…he was with her. Once again.

"Toushiro…" she whispered when they finally pulled apart.

"Yes?"

"Now that you're here…can I ask you something?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you something first, but of course. Anything at all…"

"Well, you know Hisagi-san, right…"

* * *

"Well at least those two are getting along well." Nanao sighed, closing the door to the room gently.

"You're saying that things aren't going well between us?" Shunsui whispered in her ear, his hand resting on the small of her waist in a way too intimate to be mistaken otherwise. And she didn't smack his hand away.

"_What? You want me to help you set my mechanic and your doctor when I was just about to ask you…"_

"_It's important."_

"How's…"

"She'll live. Please don't mention her right now." He said, pulling her closer to him "I think that the…"

"Excuse me…" a tall man who looked like he'd had a weasel implanted on his head instead of hair, stood right in front of them "Can you help me?"

"Why?" Shunsui murmured, but Nanao gave him a chiding look

"What can we do for you?" She asked, straightening up "Err…"

"Fujioka Kenji. I'm in charge of the hospital's administration. I'm looking for Kotetsu Isane-san."

"_How can it be more important than our future together?"_

"_I can't do it until everyone around me is happy, and that includes Isane."_

"Ran-san's doctor?" Shunsui asked, ignoring the voices that came through the other end of the door.

"I need to find her to give her this new schedule for the next week. We've been having re-arrangements and…" he held up a piece of paper so thickly written with hours and numbers that it was nearly black. Nanao's eyes narrowed, as she remembered what Isane had told them about Fujioka's schemes to cut the staff as much as possible.

"Kotetsu-_sensei_ is not here." She said, stressing on the professional title "I believe that her shift ended three hours ago."

"Ah, yes, but you know, overtime…" he began "Lately, she hasn't been doing so well, the poor thing. Maybe I should think about some…alternative. Maybe she needs to be…transferred."

To where? The unemployment department? Out loud, Nanao just smirked and said: "That would be a terrible shame, because my friend, Matsumoto Rangiku, is currently pregnant and Kotetsu-sensei is the doctor she chose to monitor her progress."

"_This is ridiculous. If you promise that you'll become my wife, I'll consider it."_

"_I won't answer until you do what I asked you to."_

"Matsumoto…Rangiku?" The man mumbled, the little wheels in his head starting to turn.

"Oh yes. Her fiancé, Hitsugaya-kun, who is visiting her at the moment by the way, is also behind her on this decision. Kotetsu-sensei has been incredibly helpful to them and they would definitely want to keep her." Nanao said, nudging Shunsui with her elbow delicately.

"Indeed." He boomed next to her "If Nanao-chan and I were not already decided to be the godparents, I'm sure that Isane-chan would be chosen for that job. She's like family." Ok, maybe they were overdoing it a little, but Nanao knew that Rangiku took everyone for family, and Isane made no exception. And after what she'd told them, she deserved to be taken care of.

"Godparents…" Fujioka mumbled "Pardon me, but aren't you Kyoraku Shunsi? Second heir to the Kyoraku family? You're…"

"Yes, I'm one of Matsumoto-san and Hitsugaya-kun's closest and dearest friends. But how can I not be, after all they're both very well known in our circles. That's Hitsugaya Toushiro to you, by the way."

"Oh…" Fujioka stuttered, clearly overtaken by the use of so many famous names at once. "Well then…"

"_Rangiku, this is serious!"_

"_Pleeeeeeeease, Toushiro!"_

"Oh, but it seems you guys are rather short on staff here. It can't be helped then, that Kotetsu-sensei has to stay overtime to see Rangiku." Nanao drawled

"I'm not used to doing things like that, but I think that I can make sure Kotetsu-sa…sensei has enough open hours for Matsumoto-san's visits. After all, she is a gynecologist, she ought to be in the maternity ward where she belongs, not the ER…"

"Well said." Nanao let out a thin lipped smile and saw him off. When he was far out of earshot, she sighed "What a bastard…"

"You obviously don't like it when people act like they're doing you a favor, huh." Shunsui said as he pressed his lips to her cheek

"I'll make sure to keep it in mind to arrange something for this hospital. Throw a bone at him so that he'll leave Isane-san alone."

"What did happen to her?" he asked.

"A long story. But…" She smiled as she heard Hitsugaya talk on the phone in the other room "I think that Rangiku is already taking care of that."

"Well then…" he grinned next to her ear "What do you say we go back to your place, I'll cook you dinner, you tell me about Isane-chan, and then we'll go throw some hoops and then try out how hard the floor is there."

She smacked his hand away. "Moron. I distinctly remember that you promised not to repeat yourself."

In the other room, Hitsugaya's voice was heard: _"Ok, I did what you wanted me to, now will you please say you'll marry me?"_

"_Ask nicely!"_

* * *

Ukitake was feeling like he'd died. Or, rather, dying, because there was something in the way his heart hammered against his chest that suggested that it could get a lot worse, or a lot better, but as much as he tried to calm his pulse, it didn't change. He was agonizing, and he only knew one thing that caused similar distress. However, he wasn't about to compare the time it would take Kurotsuchi Nemu to talk to him to…err…sex.

Although there were some similarities to it, he thought as he checked the tires of the bikes for the umpteenth time in the morning. There were only two routes from here-ultimate bliss or eternal suffering.

"This is unnecessary. I checked all the tires last night and made sure that they'll be alright for today." A voice told him, and he whirled around quickly to look at the said girl, standing in the entrance of the barn. To his credit, the movement didn't throw him off balance and he straightened up slowly, pulling his t-shirt a little so that the wrinkles would go away.

"Sorry. I was just…I didn't know."

Nemu nodded, and then proceeded to put her backpack into the basket of her bike. She didn't say much, other a few ordinary greetings that were almost enough to kill him, but Jushiro hadn't lived so long without learning patience. Although the outfit she was wearing was doing a great job in leaving him at the end of his wits. The knee-length yellow dress that hugged her body in a way that he'd never imagined possible made her look a lot more mature than he'd seen her before. Actually, it made her look her age, which was an incredible improvement.

She threw her foot over the side of the bike and motioned him to follow her. Without saying anything, Ukitake complied, hoping that the two of them leaving the clinic early in the morning would not impress anybody.

While they drove down the road, deserted due to the early hour, Ukitake couldn't help but marvel at the way Nemu moved. Her body, the walking definition of graceful, looked completely in its element as she pedaled through the puddles from last night's downpour, straight towards the little town not ten miles from the clinic. She was beautiful, and he couldn't help but feel a sort of sick satisfaction that he'd been the reason for her to bloom into this lovely young woman. However, whatever pleasure he got out of that knowledge faded in comparison to the horrible future-in a little less than nine months, he'd go back to Japan, and unless anything happened now, she would use her newfound beauty to find guys who would treat her like the lady she was….and he would have the rest of his life to regret it too.

Not that he didn't bring this on himself, anyways. Nemu had been the type of person to be weary of the people around them, but once she trusted someone, she was ready to do anything for them. He was the one who shot down her advances before he fully considered the consequences of his actions. Now, his turn was over-she could checkmate him, or she could continue to torture him. Either way, he was at her mercy right now, and by the looks of it, she wasn't ready to let him breathe just yet.

Why else would she be taking him on this cross-country ride if she wasn't stalling? She was building up the tension, keeping him on his toes, guessing all the time, trying to predict her next action. She was a smart girl, Nemu, and they both knew it. Maybe, she was also his intellectual superior, but that mattered little at present.

They rode past sleepy meadows, waking streets, and dozy citizens, right down to the port. Nemu seemed to know her way around, which was a real surprise since Ukitake didn't even imagine how she could go out on such explorative missions without some sort of backup. She rode all the way to the bay, on the breakwater, and finally stopped at its very edge.

"Nemu-san…" Jushiro began, hurrying to her side "Are you…"

"I don't plan to kill myself. I can swim." She countered him, locking her bike calmly and standing up to meet him. "But I wanted to tell you that whatever reasons you had to stay away from me, they are absolutely useless."

There was a thoughtful silence. Finally, he said lamely: "Oh? Really?"

"Yes. Since our last real conversation, I did a lot of thinking and came up with a list of things that make you think that our relationship is destined to remain one between a keeper and a kept, or, at best, between friends. You have issues regarding my age, your age, your health and mine, your relationship with my mother and probably my background." Ukitake listened on, agreeing with all but one item on that list, but he let her say what she wanted to say. "After finding all the reasons there are for it, I also worked towards finding solutions for all of them, and in fact, discovered that most of them are rather trivial and thus do not matter."

"How so?" he mumbled

"I will become of age in less than a month. Even when my mother first went into trial for full parental rights over me, I was old enough to be considered independent. The only thing that convinced the judges that I'm in a need of a guardian was a sort of emotional immaturity which now, I believe, I have overcome. Thus, I am not obliged to follow anyone's orders. I have already taken steps for my acceptance in a graduate school in Todai, and if I am accepted, I will not only be able to be closer to you, but I will also become more independent and self-aware."

"That's a good idea, but do you think you'll handle the change?"

"I may not look like it, but the truth is that my father never kept me. I was never treated like some sort of invalid until my mother took me in. I assure you, I can handle the change quite nicely. What is more, half of the professors in Todai were my mentors in the accelerated study program. They will do everything to make me comfortable in the new environment."

"Then I'm happy for you. But…still…"

"All other reasons are irrelevant. Age has never been a serious drawback for a relationship, now or ever. You've read enough of Charlotte Bronte to know that. Also, I am not a minor-I know exactly what I'm doing. And my mother, if she truly does respect you, would accept our relationship."

"You make it sound so simple…" he stated "Too simple. May I remind you, Nemu-san, that things are a lot more complicated? Your mother may respect me, but I don't think she will fully understand."

"I love you." Nemu stated bluntly, causing Ukitake to falter "If you are not feeling the same things towards me, then…"

"Nemu, for Christ's sake, stop being such a robot!" Ukitake exclaimed, and then immediately apologized "I'm sorry, I just…"

"Snapped."

"Yeah, snapped. But…look, let me try this again." He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, smiling at her "I like you a lot. I'm…seriously attracted to you. I've been in love before, and I know for certain that right now, I really do love you. But the thing is, you're nothing like the girls I've ever met…like this. Since I feel ill, the times I've spent with a woman were very few and almost none led to any romantic attachment. So that's why I seriously don't know what to do with you now, how to act, how to react…I can't just let myself go and feel, because I feel obliged to you and your mother, and because…I guess because I'm afraid."

"Of?"

"Of…taking something away from you. Nemu, your mother means the best when she's trying to make you more like the young ladies your age, but that doesn't mean that you are a bad person or anything. You have something that…no-one else has. I don't want to take it away from you."

"Why should I let you take it away? Why does being with you mean that I'll have to give it up?"

"Because…because that's just how things are, Nemu!"

"You're silly."

"I am not! This is common sense!"

"You're really silly."

"Nemu, please, you're acting like a child. You….mmph…" his words were drowned when she suddenly reached out, grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him. She braced herself, expecting him to push her away and yell, but instead, he pulled her in closer, his fingers digging almost painfully into her forearms as he held her in place.

They pulled away, panting for air, blushing furiously, embarrassed…and perfectly happy. Nemu looked up at him with disbelief, and Jushiro smiled knowingly. Stepping a little further from him, she placed her hands on the belt of her dress and asked: "Didn't you wonder why I asked you out here in the first place, instead of talking to you in the clinic."

He shook his head. Smiling shyly, she tugged the belt off, leaving her dress to fall off her shoulders and leave her in her bathing suit. Gently, she folded it and placed it into the basket of her bike, and then looked at him. "Are you coming?"

Jushiro just grinned, embracing the foolishness as just the continuation of all the logic they'd been following lately. It was high time they both stopped thinking. Shrugging off his shirt, he joined Nemu on the edge of the breakwater, taking her hand in his. They looked down at the green sea, still untouched by the warm sun, then looked at each other as they took the jump.

* * *

**A/N-Well, this was one hell of a chapter, and hurried to boot. I wanted to update today, hoping that you guys will review. So review!**

**Since you've already seen that most of the romantic plotlines are developping, and the Isane/Hisagi story, taken in the spinoff "Stages of Love" is also going somewhere (btw, for those of you reading it, the two stories are slightly intertwines), although it is on a more earlier stasis. Anyways, the next chapter will be the last (wah!) and I hope that you guys enjoyed your run. Next up is the epilogue, and, you guessed it, I expect reviews! **

**Kudos to all of you that made it reading this far, and I'm honestly looking forward to hearing your opinion. If requested, I'll write a GrimHime oneshot to show you guys how the flying fuck did those two end up together. Poll is on my profile!**

**Cheers,**

**F.S.**


	29. With you

**With you**

"Stop fussing, Rangiku." Nanao ordered, as she tried arranging the flowers into her friend's hair, and groaned when the said flowers spilled out when she shook her head. "What has gotten into you?! Can't you stand still for five seconds so that I can make you pretty?"

"I can't help it! The scent is driving me insane!" Matsumoto sneezed to emphasize "I just can't handle it! Too strong!"

"They're just freesias, Rangiku…Besides, you're the one who insisted on marrying just after you were discharged from the hospital." Nanao huffed, wrapping the flowers in a tiny bouquet "You can't have a speedy wedding and be eight weeks pregnant and look like a movie star at the same time."

"First of, it was Toushiro who brought up the wedding talk, and second, I don't want my baby to be bullied by kids who can count better than him in school. Being conceived out of the wedlock was a huge issue for my mother and me."

"He'll figure this out either way." Nanao said, helping her friend on her feet.

"Though it's not fair, Nee-san." Orihime said as she helped her sister fix the soft shawl around her shoulders. Rangiku had decided to don a white dress that hugged her bust, but fell in wonderful, soft waves down to her knees, and even with her face as white as death thanks to the pregnancy, she still managed to look lovely. "I mean, you went through so much so that I can have a beautiful wedding, and here you are not spending a dime for yours."

"Yeah, I just gave Grimmjaw enough to be livid about for the next few decades." Rangiku grinned "But now at least know why I did it."

"Why?"

"Because you shouldn't go through that wedding hoopla, it's too stressing. But after going through it once myself for you, I don't think I want the same for me. Besides…if Toushiro and I go through it all, I'll have to go into labor the day after. Have you seen a nine-months pregnant woman? I can assure you, they don't stand around too much, it's exhausting."

"Oi!" A loud knock resonated on the door, accompanied by Grimmjaw whining "Hime, tell your sister to get out here at once, before that idiot from the Town Hall bores us to death."

"We still have five minutes before the ceremony." Hitsugaya was trying to reason with him, but one could tell from his voice that he was on the edge too.

"Bah! If you listened to anything I said, you would elope before that baka onna reconsidered."

"Oh? That's what you and Hime would've done, wouldn't you?" Rangiku cried indignantly, but she shot Nanao a sweet smile. While staying in the hospital, she asked Nanao if she wanted to make a triple wedding, with her, and Orihime, but her friend had kindly declined. In her dubious defense, she pointed out that from the two of them, Shunsui was the one pressed by time, not her.

"_And…"_ Nanao had added _"I don't want to marry someone just because of obligation. He'll come to it sooner or later."_

"_Or steal you away at night."_ Rangiku had suggested.

But still…all was well that ends well, wasn't it? Matsumoto glanced at herself in the mirror. She was wan, tired, face ashen with dark circles underneath her eyes. A year ago, hell, a few months ago, the thought of her looking like this would've made her sick. Now, she felt it was natural. That's how things are supposed to be, Rangiku thought as she opened the door, and that's the man she wanted to be with. Toushiro looked at her and a small, relieved smile spread across his features, as if, though he'd tried to resist them, Grimmjaw's words had somehow echoed his own thoughts and fears. That supposition confirmed when he took her wrist gently, kissed her hand and said:

"You're beautiful."

For a split second, something flashed in her, and then she crushed him in one of her favorite bear hugs, a little residue from the Matsumoto Rangiku he'd first met. Only this time, there were no sputtering protests and no blushing. He actually leaned into it and wrapped his arms (gently!) around her.

"Silly boy." She laughed "I wasn't planning on walking out on you before the ceremony."

"Well, then…" Hitsugaya took her by the arm and led her to the hall of ceremonies "We better get this show on the row then, before you changed your mind…"

Rangiku giggled when Orihime and Grimmjaw and Nanao stuttered past her to take their places before the couple entered. Her sister and her fiancé went to sit in the front row while Nanao joined Shunsui in front of the master of ceremonies, who, at the time, was explaining something to the latter. He looked slightly bored, but Nanao's showing up immediately brightened him up.

To her surprise, the entire room seemed full of that gentle emotion that was so well written all over Shunsui and Nanao's faces. Kiyone was there, along with a great number of Rangiku's colleagues from work. Her sister Isane was talking to Hisagi-san about something, which would've seemed perfectly innocent and inoffencive if the young man didn't have his arm around her waist, pulling her in until she was all but molded against him. So possessive, Rangiku thought, as she turned around to smile at Captain Komamura and the boys, who Kiyone had roped in to come and fill the vacant places.

But the biggest surprise of all was the flash of white hair on the first row. Rangiku all but squealed when she made out Ukitake-san standing there, smiling at the two of them fondly, with a tall, black-haired girl leaning on his arm gently.

"At least he didn't need your help to find somebody." Toushiro teased her as they stood in front of the master of ceremonies. Rangiku laughed gently as the two faced the master of ceremonies, but didn't omit to turn around to look at his face, and sure enough, the same mixture of happiness, possessiveness, and even a bit of ridiculous pride at something she couldn't quite make out. Still…she couldn't help but feel the same. She didn't remember when the master of ceremonies announced them husband and wife, but she did feel the immense joy that overcame her. Turning to him, she couldn't help but feel her eyes water when he leaned down and ever so gently kissed her, first softly, and then deeply. Every time was like the first time, only better, she thought, leaning into it.

"I love you." Rangiku said, pulling away slightly. She couldn't hear her own voice due to the mixture of the roar of her heart and everyone's cheers, but she didn't need to see him or hear him to know that he'd just replied: "I love you too."

The end? More like the beginning.

* * *

**A/N-Ok, this was cheesy, short and every other good fluffy thing. I hope you enjoyed. I seriously don't see a serious way to end this fic, so I decided to make it light and pink and fluffy. I hope that I can have some constructive feedback from you now. Some pointers:**

**What was your favorite couple/character/character development? **

**What was your favorite moment? **

**Did you enjoy the prequel (now available as the fic "Feel", a GrimHime romance), and the spinoff ("Stages of love" is also updated, I believe)? **

**Did this fic live up to your expectations? **

**Was my humor too painfully dry/nonexistent? **

**Did the fluff bode well with the drama?**

**Oh, yeah, and I fixed the little measurement problem from chapter 2. Tee hee, silly me...made Hitsugaya too short when I was aiming to make him higher than in the anime.**

**Rate and review people! This is the last time in this fic I'm asking you to anyway. **


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